Vengeance Incarnate
by Babelonia
Summary: A demon's inner rage can never be conquered, merely tamed. An emotional slip up forced the Resistance's most powerful member to go on the run as a fugitive of the worst kind. With only one person he can truly trust, can the demon slayer live up to his title as Vengeance Incarnate, or will circumstance find him in the fell grasp of death before that?
1. Pandemonium

**Vengeance Incarnate**

*Prologue*

Chained in anguish by betrayal and slight,  
>nurtured by the haze of sleepless night,<br>behold and fear, my baleful might,  
>here marks the hour that I fight.<p>

Gone are our days of joyous rapport  
>Gone are your ways I'd bear and ignore.<br>I smirk at the forgiveness you now implore,  
>For sympathy and compassion, I now abhor.<p>

Within this dementing, dehumanizing cage,  
>my prescription for release is malice and rage<br>that time itself can never assuage  
>because, old friend, vengeance's call will never age.<p>

You'd squandered your chances long ago…  
>were too slow to deal your treacherous blow.<br>My fury boils, and with it, I grow.  
>Challenge me thus – your blood will flow, so…<p>

Dive, old friend, into the deepest well.  
>Fly, old friend, atop the tallest swell.<br>Retreat, old friend, amidst the infernos of hell.  
>I'll always be there to sound death's knell,<p>

for my hands now clasp your harness of fate.  
>Your being, I will mutilate and mutate.<br>Then, only then, will you receive this hate  
>of your demon, your demise, your destined date…<p>

I am your vengeance incarnate.

_A house licked by flames, black and crumbling; a demon child lying amidst the ruins._ This scene burned brightly at the back of his eyes as the demon slayer crossed the threshold into the Black Mage's chamber. His enemy sat rigidly atop his throne, expressionless eyes locked with his own.

"Why…why did you do it!? Tell me!" The demon slayer demanded.

No response.

Rage had cast impenetrable clouds on what happened next. The hatred he felt now was as strong as it had been back then. He had vowed his revenge on the black mage and was absolutely intent on delivering it. However, he knew he had been beaten utterly, and although he had broken the black mage's barrier, the fiend that had reduced him to a comatose puppet had been resurrected with even greater power.

...

He could barely believe that he was here again, yet the blocks beneath his feet were as familiar as he had left them, and the unmistakable taint of the Black Mage infested the air around him. He didn't know by what divine providence he was given this chance, but he knew that here was his moment of truth. This was the decisive battle that determines the fate of the maple world. It was also the moment his vengeance would be complete.

Cloaked in an aura of hatred and darkness, the demon slayer stood beside the maple heroes, fists clenched hard around the hilt of his axe. He couldn't let them go in. He couldn't let them steal his revenge. It was his family that was murdered – _his_ brother that he found clutching their family photo even in death. Yet, these were his comrades in arms, who had been with him through thick and thin. _Don't think about it _he thought, _Magnus and Arkarium were once your peers too._ His gaze hardened. He wouldn't lose this time. He'd come too far, trained too hard. He couldn't be defeated again. He was vengeance incarnate. And he would fell the Black Mage alone.

_By hatred I have lived, and by hatred I shall die. _Such were his thoughts as he launched himself towards Evan, cleaving the startled magician in two and severing the head of his dragon, Mir, in the process. The demon slayer wasted no time as the others turned to take in the scene. Wings straining in exertion, he dove head-first at Mercedes. Diverting a desperate attempt to parry from one of her bow-guns, he impaled her through her chest with his horns. She was flung into the air by the force of the impact.

Acting on instinct, he drove his axe into the ground, using its momentum to propel himself into the sky, narrowly dodging Luminous's ray of reflection. By now, the others had caught on that he was no longer an ally. Aran took up his position on the ground, cursing that he couldn't reach him. Phantom had caught Mercedes as she fell, and was frantically retreating to his ship. However, carrying Mercedes, he had no way of combating the oblivion guardians closing in around him.

_What is this feeling? It's not hate…it's not empowering at all. Why do I feel so helpless? Am I…_The Demon Slayer had no time to finish that thought. Veering to the side, he dodged another bolt of light from Luminous. "Why!?" Roared Aran, "Were all these years for nothing!? Do you seek to return to the Black Mage after all he's done? After all you've done to fight him!?" Demon Slayer began an upward ascent to remove himself from Luminous's attack range. Could he tell them his feelings? What did he even feel, anyway? Where was the remorseless general who had sacked cities and claimed lives without so much as flinching? He squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his fists and teeth.

"Stay your ground, coward! Answer me!" Aran's faint cry snapped him back into reality. He had almost risen above the clouds. "I…" he whispered. _No. I've already killed Evan, caused the extinction of the onyx dragons, and mortally wounded Mercedes. It's too late to turn back now…too late for explanations. Whatever I say, Aran and Luminous would be condemned to a life of hatred, and I wouldn't wish such an all-consuming existence on my worst enemy._ His resolve firm, the demon relaxed his wings, and, going into free-fall, triggered his metamorphosis. _If they can't beat me, they can't hope to defeat the black mage._

As he fell, he saw past the anger and confusion in Aran, and picked out the hurt worn evidently on his face. Luminous's expression was harder to gauge, but the darkness within him felt more poignant than ever before. Experience had taught them both to fight first, and talk later, but no amount of practice could completely mask the pain of betrayal. Luminous raised his rod and the air crackled purple as a rift opened up right before him.

Guilt shot through the Demon as he realized that the maple heroes had never fought him in full capacity; while in metamorphosis, anything less than the Black Mage's own dark magic was null against him. He didn't move a muscle, and returned Luminous's bewildered gaze as the black flames of apocalypse washed over him.

He had told them nothing about himself, save that he sought the Black Mage's blood; they didn't even know his real name. He steeled himself as he exited the vortex mere meters before Luminous and time seemed to slow. Luminous's eyes were wide, his mouth open just a fraction. The muscles in his neck were visible as he attempted to wrench his rod into a defensive position. Aran was on his knees, but recognition had begun to flicker in his eyes as he realized the demon had not been finished by Luminous's apocalypse. With Maha on the ground, however, Aran was in no position for immediate action.

...

The Demon remembered his final awakening; Mastema had sent him to confront his inner rage, and he had conquered it. That, however, was over two years ago, and since his subordinate had confessed her love to him, he had never been able to view her loyalty in the same way. She must have felt the same for him, too, as throughout this time she had been curiously absent from his mind, save directing him to his old locket.

He'd betrayed her, too. He saved her on a whim and she'd grown attached to him. He betrayed her along with the Black Wings and she had almost died for it. And Despite the numerous times she had helped him reawaken his powers, he had helped her try to change back merely in the hopes that she could be useful to him in his quest for vengeance.

Yes...for someone who had either betrayed, killed, or through his inaction, allowed everyone who was close to him die, what were another two? In the grand scheme of things, Aran and Luminous would soon be forgotten along with the rest, their blood joining the thousands of others' he'd spilled to reach this new height in power. 

...

He didn't even flinch as he brought down his axe across Luminous's torso. Opening his wings, he angled his descent so as not to crash into the floor, and allowed his momentum to carry him forward. Aran was had always been the toughest of the bunch, and Maha was sentient. It wouldn't be wise to confront him without fully preparing. A grisly roar and a tuft of wind from behind told him that he had narrowly avoided the jaws of Aran's final blow. He shot a glance over his shoulder, and saw Aran beginning his 'Beyond Blade' hyper technique.

Grimacing, the Demon began furiously beating his wings to accelerate. Screeches told him that Aran's winged familiars had already detached themselves and begun their pursuit. Banking hard, he angled himself for a crash-course into Aran, channeling fury into a demon cry. He had intended to conserve his power for the Black Mage, but it was inevitable that he expend some to deal with Aran. He berated himself for not taking down the pole-arm wielder first. He raised his axe in a feint, and Aran fell for it, readying Maha to parry. Releasing his fury, he let loose his demon cry an instant before a blur of motion blindsided him. Cursing, he spied half a dozen glowing cards lodged deeply in his side before crashing onto the ground. Even has he moved to remove them, he felt the poison working in his veins.

Aran advanced, staggering. The demon's curse mark floated above his head, but he ignored it. Without breaking eye contact with his fallen enemy, Aran acknowledged Phantom's assistance with a hand gesture. He raised Maha, and the last thing the Demon Slayer saw before he lost consciousness was a flash of purple and Maha falling from his Master's grasp.


	2. This Pathetic Life

The Demon Slayer awoke to the sound of uneven breathing. Looking at the sun, he could tell that not long had passed; less than an hour, certainly. Judging by the surrounding Blood Harps, he was fairly deep in the Minar Forest. He was lain atop a platform safe from the local fauna and...the Demon started. Now _there_ was a face he hadn't expected to see. Mastema knelt beside him, propped up on the hilt of her blade. Her clothes were tattered, skin bruised, though both wings looked to be intact. He groggily picked himself up.

Mastema yanked her sword out of the ground, eyes determinedly set on the source of the sudden movement. She relaxed and smiled, before pitching forwards. The Demon caught her. "Damon...oh, I'm so relieved." Mastema stiffened slightly at the contact, but her fatigue got the better of her. "I didn't know if it would work." she sighed.

"You didn't know if what would work?"

"I altered my draining technique...to extract Phantom's poison from your body." Mastema put on a cheerful look, but Damon could tell that her smile was laced with pain. She didn't have much time left. "Focus on the pain. I'm going to get rid of your poison." He commanded.

Placing a hand on her chest, Damon weighed the odds. He would use soul eater to remove the burden on Mastema's soul. In theory, it could work, provided she focus intently on the pain of the poison. However, one hitch in his concentration could mean taking more than just the poison, and whatever he absorbs becomes part of him. Also, if his black-hearted strength couldn't deal with the poison, it was over. However, he hadn't come across any poison that could overwhelm him yet, and it was likely his concussion from the crash that caused him to pass out. Mastema was dying. She had never let him down before, and was always the first to come to his aid. Now, she may well be the only person he could count on to not betray him.

He closed his eyes and began to draw from Mastema's soul. He was careful, but even so, he touched fragments of his subordinate's essence that once again left him feeling like her loyalty was not all it seemed. He waited while his black-hearted strength dealt with the poison. Phantom had come back to help Aran. That must mean Mercedes was alive. He wouldn't leave her side if she'd died, would he? No...Maybe it was because Mercedes had died that Phantom returned to attack before announcing his presence. The poison was certainly potent; Phantom had likely meant for his attack to be lethal. Even if it wasn't...Aran certainly had death in mind for him. He cursed in his mind. He didn't know if Luminous was dead or not, either.

"Mastema." He was still holding her, and she certainly looked to be in more comfort than before. The poison had obviously hindered her rest, as its absence from her system left her fighting to open her eyes. "Yes?" She whispered.

"What happened after I passed out? How did you manage to escape, carrying me?" Damon's voice was even, but he couldn't mask a hint of surprise in it. Mastema was a powerful demon back in his Black Wing days, but Akarium had crippled her and it'd only been two years since she had regained even the strength to maintain her humanoid form again. Even if she had been training, she should be no match against either Phantom or Aran, much less the two of them combined while protecting him. Shaking his head in bewilderment, Damon asked, "Why were you even there in the first place?"

"I...I felt your..." Mastema's voice trailed off. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "My mind...has always been...connected..." She trailed off again, and only then did Damon notice the blood pooling at Mastema's feet. Realization dawning on Damon's face as to why she hadn't moved her legs, he stood with her in his arms. It wasn't the poison that was keeping her awake; rather, she was slowly losing consciousness due to blood loss. Numerous gashes that looked to be from Phantom's cards decorated Mastema's legs. Seeing similarly shaped tears in the back of her uniform, Damon cursed and roughly lowered her onto the ground. He almost felt a touch of guilt when Mastema tensed in pain, but decided there was no time for that. Mastema forced another smile and looked him in the eye, "Don't worry about me, Damon...your life was in danger and...so I was invincible..." Cursing again, the Demon Slayer activated his leech aura and leapt into the nearest nest of Blood Harps.

...

Damon had just exterminated his third nest when he decided that he needed a weapon. His strength, coupled with his demon aegis, was akin to a mace, but the Blood Harps were strong opponents and his head was still throbbing from the crash. Deciding that he had killed enough for his leech aura to have replenished Mastema somewhat, he returned to their safe platform to find her sleeping peacefully.

He shook her awake. "Mastema, now's not the time to rest. Now tell me, what happened, what were you doing there and how did you get away?" The fact that Phantom or Aran hadn't found them, or even appeared to be pursuing them, was a good sign, but nothing was for certain. He had ruined the plan to destroy the Black Mage and killed at least two of the Maple Heroes.

Mastema's eyes were glazed, but they focused as she propped herself up on an elbow and crossed her legs. "Thank you." She muttered. Damon ignored the comment, so she continued, "Our mental connection is...well. Ever since I showed you back to your ruined home for that locket, I've been flooded with grief and hatred every time I opened my mind to you. I didn't attempt any more contact because I can tell my presence makes you uncomfortable...just like now." She smiled sadly, and Damon waved her off. "Get to the point."

"I've been following you...in a roundabout fashion, trying to get stronger by watching you train. I was here in Minar Forest while you and the Maple Heroes raided the Temple of Time, but the moment you attacked them, I felt your rage and flew to you as quickly as I could. I arrived just in time to save you from Aran, stunning him. I Picked you up and tried to escape as fast as I could but I was hit again and again by Phantom's cards. I completely exhausted my demon aegis protecting my wings when I made a break for it. I thought this was a good place to hide for the time being, so landed, drained the poison from you and...you woke up soon after."

Mastema looked very uncomfortable, and Damon's expression was serious as he asked "Were all of Phantom's cards poisoned?" Without knowing exactly how long he was out for, he couldn't gauge the strength of Phantom's poison, but he knew that Mastema had come very close to death for him, and he didn't know what to feel about that.

Mastema shook her head, "Only the ones you were hit with; the rest were regulars." A pause, then "What are we going to do now, Damon?"

The Demon Slayer thought about this for a moment. "I need a new weapon," he finally said, "and I need you to level with me, here." Mastema straightened. "Yes, sir?"

"I'm going to be a fugitive. On the run until I can gather allies. Everywhere I go becomes a potential battlefield. Therefore, I need to know: why do you follow me? Is it because I saved your life and you feel indebted to me? Is it because of that...incident with the eye of time? Or do you fee-"

"Everything, sir." Mastema fidgeted; she normally doesn't read his mind, out of respect, but its presence is always there, and when she was this close to him, it was hard not to hear his thoughts. '_Or do you feel that if you aid me now, you can invoke my debt to you in the future?'_ With so much uncertainty and treachery in his life, it's no wonder that he would suspect even his most loyal subordinate of such underhanded trickery, but Mastema still couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by this lack of trust. She might as well get everything out of the way now, because things would just get bumpier further down the road. "Damon... You saved my life, and I swore myself to you...and that hasn't changed. I told you that I loved you two years ago. That, also, has not changed."

The wave of discomfort radiating from the Demon Slayer was almost tangible, and it assaulted her mind, however, she ignored it and said "But...I want to see you succeed. I can hear your thoughts...I can interpret and understand your emotions. Having lived through your memories the sorrow that you suffer through every day, I know there is nobody else to walk this path with you, and I want you to know that no matter how dirty your hands become, I'll still stand by you, because, despite what you are, and the atrocities you commit, you have known too little kindness in this world and I...I believe you deserve a lot more than what you've gotten." She paused, looking sheepish. "That's...that's why."

Damon scowled "How exactly does this telepathy of yours work?" His voice was thick with suspicion.

Mastema didn't know whether to tell the truth or to make up something more pleasant, but she decided on the truth; any secrets between them now would only serve to damage the trust they share, and Mastema knew that, though much of it was his own fault, Damon had precious little trust to spare anyone now. For a Demon who has both been used and abandoned, who has used others and tossed them aside, too, it was a miracle he was even thinking of trusting Mastema, and she wasn't about to squander that.

"It's my ability to get into someone else's head. I cannot control minds, but I can browse and read them without the subject of my telepathy knowing." The implications of such a power were left hanging, but Damon sighed and chuckled.

"Well, then. You know I've been trying to get rid of you time and time again ever since I saved your life, but just kept missing the right opportunity?"

"Yes."

"You know that I have never viewed your life in higher regard than a pawn to be used to do my bidding?"

"Yes." _And I know you're mentally kicking yourself for this...that you're sorry._

"You know that I find your affections to be a trivial waste of time and have no intention of returning them?"

"...yes."

"Very well. We rest here for the night and leave at dawn. There have been rumours that Damien yet lives and has succeeded me in the Black Wings. The Black Mage took him from me once...he will not do so again."

Black Hearted Strength = Demon Slayer 3rd Job Skill

Leech Aura = Demon Slayer 4th Job Skill

Mastema is a rather undeveloped character in canon Maplestory, so I'll be taking some creative liberties with her :P. Please leave reviews and suggestions if you like where this story is going. It'd be great to hear feedback.


	3. A wrench in the works

Damon and Mastema flew south; the Demon Slayer's ruined home was still there, hidden somewhere in the depth of Minar Forest. He didn't know why his parents had picked such an isolated location to settle down, even if they had eloped. Nobody but the Black Wings knew of its location. In truth, he had originally intended to stay only until he found what he was looking for, but sorrow and nostalgia got the better of him, and he decided to clean up and rebuild. Remnants of a tragic past were scattered amidst the rubble, from broken old toys to badly singed Diaries and notes. He promised himself he'd read them when he had time, when he'd avenged his family against the Black Mage. Mastema looked very joyful to be able to help her master in such a task, and though her wounds still visibly troubled her at times, Damon had no intention of objecting to her assistance. _She can rest if she feels the need to._ He told himself.

"What's this legacy of your fathers' you are looking for? There's no reason to be secretive about it now that we're here." Mastema asked, lowering herself carefully on a derelict wooden chair. It held. Many hours had passed since they began clearing out the ruins, and though the sun was hidden by the trees, the area was beginning to dim.

Damon paused in his work. "It's a demon sceptre. My father died when I was young, and his body was never recovered. His weapon, however, was returned to us and my mother locked it away in the basement." He kicked another batch of bricks aside. "I never went down there the times I returned, and we'll need to find the trapdoor in this mess. I can't get a bearing on where anything is relative to everything else, with the house like this." He flung aside another block of collapsed concrete.

"So...um, your brother...you know what he's done, right?"

Damon grimaced. He had tried his best to avoid thinking of Damien, and had excused himself in any raids into the root abyss. None of the maple heroes knew of their connection, but many must have suspected. The picture of Damien he had seen on his wanted poster could not have made it more obvious that they were kin. The dark red hair; the pale skin; the shape of their face... he asked himself now whether revealing their siblinghood would have been better in the long run; it would have given him a reason to look for information regarding Damien, at least. Currently, he knew nothing more about his little Brother than what is likely to be mere exaggerated hearsay. "Only the rough details," he finally said "I couldn't risk losing the maple heroes' trust."

Mastema simply nodded. Neither of them was in the mood to argue about Damon's hypocrisy. "I looked into him. He's easily been the most elusive of the Black Mage's generals, but from what I've heard, he may well be the most powerful."

"Is it true he managed to imprison the Transcendent of Life?"

"Damon...he didn't raise a finger. His summoned servants were more than enough to keep the Transcendent in check...Do you know why the Cygnus knight didn't mobilize with you against the Black Mage?"

Surprised that his little Brother was now in possession of such power, Damon couldn't help but feel his heart warm with pride. His father regularly took to calling Damien useless, as the younger sibling had taken more to their human mother... If only he were still alive.

Banishing such weak thoughts from his mind, he replied, "Wasn't the Cygnus army behind us clearing out the guardians of the temple?"

"No," Mastema said, "Ereve had fallen under attack. There must have been a Black Mage informant among their ranks, as a black army led by Damien arrived by air just as they were about to depart. The floating island was heavily defended; all the Cygnus knights had been rallied and were arming to march on the temple of time. I shared a mental connection with Shinsoo, and I know that he confronted Damien. But around then was when I broke the contact because you...anyway, I can't reach Shinsoo anymore, so I can only assume..."

Damon stiffened. "Damien killed the holy dragon of Ereve?"

"It's possible..." They both wordlessly returned to clearing the ruins, and as night began to fall, Damon announced, "Here it is."

The trapdoor looked very ordinary, and upon entering, the Demon Slayer channelled power into his aegis to light up the basement. 'Armoury' would have been a better word to describe it. All kinds of weapons decorated the walls, though some had fallen to the ground, and stands with empty suits of armour littered the place. Shattered glass was strewn across the ground, though some potions were still in tact on some shelves. Looking at Mastema's rather wanting state of equipment, he made a sweeping gesture and ordered, "Help yourself; I need you in prime fighting shape."

As his subordinate moved to inspect the gear, Damon focused on the familiar demon's fury that permeated the air. Following it to a simple wooden chest, he snapped the lock and opened it. He had forgotten the name of his father's demon sceptre, but as his fingers closed around its hilt, he felt his latent demon's fury boil. However his father died, it hadn't been pretty; he had raged against death until the very end.

The sceptre was a magnificent specimen; four and a half foot from top to bottom, the head was shaped in the form of a human skull, ringed with gilded spikes a few inches long that showed no sign of wear. The sceptre was clearly enchanted with high-level magic. Removing his father's old battle armour from its stand, he belted his sceptre and emerged. Mastema was already waiting for him above ground, her own chosen equipment at her feet. "Arm yourself." He said, "We're going hunting tonight."

Neither of them bothered to change in privacy, for they were modestly garbed underneath their armour, anyway. However, Damon sucked in a breath when he saw what his subordinate had chosen as her fighting gear. He recalled the old days, before his father died... Before he joined the Black Wings to wreak havoc on the world that had stolen his idol from him. His father was a full-blooded demon, and an immensely powerful one, at that. He was subordinate to nobody but himself, and he never seemed to anger.

He was never told the specifics, but during his travels, his father fell in love with a human woman, and they eloped from her family, settling down in Minar Forest and having him and his brother. He remembered his father frequently instructing his mother in swordplay, and the armour she used to wear during these sessions now fit perfectly upon Mastema's slight frame. His father had made that armour himself.

The demon girl was a striking image of strength and beauty. Her shoulder-length purple hair flowed freely, giving her a wild yet not quite savage look. The battle armour built up her shoulders, and flowed seamlessly down past her knees, ending at mid-shin length. It was heavy armor, and by some miracle of foresight, his father had made room for wings in the back. In the moonlight, Mastema's pale skin shone with a radiance uncharacteristic of demons, and Damon grudgingly acknowledged that his subordinate was, in fact, very beautiful. He looked down at his own hands, and saw that his skin seemed to absorb the moonlight, not reflect it. It was dull, grey, and death-like. For a brief moment, he wondered what Mastema saw in him, and contemplated himself in his fathers position, starting a family with her. They could live right here...

Mastema looked at him, her brows wrinkling. Damon cursed. He had been staring at her for an unsavoury amount of time. "Look, if you know what I'm thinking, I'm just going to get this out of the way right now. Your power is very useful, and I know that, but it's going to take some time to get my head around the fact that you can read my every thought. I've no problem with you wearing that armour...it's just the memories, is all."

His subordinate flashed him a shy smile. "Well, then, you were thinking some dragon turtle shells to rebuild our house, yes? Let's go!" She forced a cheery tone into her voice, but Damon did not seem to notice the pretence. _Our house...I suppose it will be, from now on. _He grunted and flapped his wings, setting a brisk, though not tiring pace.

They split up to hunt the dragon turtles, as both of them were at a level such that the mighty beasts were felled in a single blow. They had connected their souls so that any battle experience they earn could be shared with each-other. It was an interesting experience for Damon, to be able to hear Mastema's thoughts. Although he focused on identifying openings and weakness in her fighting style to work on later, he couldn't help but absorb other thoughts as well. The demon girl had a surprisingly active mind; even as she collected shells, she was debating with herself where they could find allies, how to avoid detection, and how they would contact Damien.

The easiest course of action would be to approach the Black Mage as soon as possible and claim to have driven off the Maple Heroes in the hopes of returning to his service. It's been a day, and the longer they delay, the more suspicious such a course of action would become. However, there is the problem of Damon having sworn eternal vengeance on the Black Mage, and even if the Transcendent of Light were to overlook that, neither of them knew what to say to Damien once they found him. For all they knew, Damien had joined the Black Mage of his own accord.

If the Black mage decided to kill them, however, they would be hard-pressed to escape with their lives. Damon had underestimated the Maple Heroes, and he hadn't faced any of the other Black Wing commanders, unlike Mastema. The Transcendent of Light had returned from the dead even more powerful than before, and all his henchmen had had over a century to hone their abilities. Consequently, the Black Mage himself was currently an insurmountable obstacle.

Which meant they needed allies. However, Tynerum's demons were weak, and they could hardly contact the Maple Alliance without expecting to be killed or at least jailed. This narrowed their potential pool of allies to only individuals outside of the Alliance, who are not in allegiance to the Black Mage, and who wouldn't mind being caught in between the two most powerful factions in the world. They knew nobody who fit this category, much less anyone in possession of enough power to be useful.

In this dimension.

...

The duo returned to Damon's ruined home, and from their enchanted inventory, each produced a monstrous pile of dragon turtle shells. "You're quite the strategist, Mastema." Damon began. "Why did I never know you had such an aptitude for planning?" There was a hint of accusation in his voice, and Mastema caught it.

"I...I always wanted to just follow your orders, sir." Uncomfortable with the direction this was going, the demon girl diverted the topic. "Anyway, I was thinking if you'd allow me to scout for allies. I haven't done it in a while, but if you watch over my body, I can leave it and travel to another dimension..."

Damon's eyebrows shot to his forehead. "Exactly how much have you been hiding from me? You said your ability only allowed you to get into someone else's head."

"That's true, but this is something else. It's a separate ability that allows me to leave my body and travel in spirit form. It's not useful for anything except reconnaissance, really. I can then use my mind-reading ability in spirit form to contact any potential allies."

Damon thought about it. He didn't have any better ideas. "Very well. I'll be here as long as necessary. However, if we're attacked and I flee, will you be able to find your body?"

Mastema blushed, thrilled at the fact that Damon had not even thought of fleeing without her. Damon heard the thought and ignored it. "Y-yes." Mastema caught herself and replied. "I can find my body anywhere."

"Then hurry up, I'll start rebuilding this place to something we can use as a base of operations."

The moment Mastema left her body in spirit form, she froze. Mentally punching herself for being unprepared, she snapped out of her shock, drew her blade and readied her aegis. It was still not at full power. Spirit form was essentially a copy of her corporeal body, except on a different plane of existence. Weapons and armour are retained, so is any battle experience and, in the worst case, death. Drawing on her demon's fury, she invoked her battle pact and settled into an advanced area-combat stance.

Two figures stood not three meters away from where her corporeal body lay with Damon. They appeared to be identical twins, though of opposite genders. Both were garbed in a flowing red overall trimmed with gold, with black gloves and boots with trimmed with a similar design. They had identical red eyes, though the male's disheveled hair gave him a much rougher look than the female, who's blond fringe was immaculate trimmed.

Mastema watched them, trying to wrap her head around who this mysterious duo were. The male stared back at her coldly, slowly drawing a serrated, crimson long sword from its scabbard. The girl carried a much thicker blade on her back, and seemed to be unaware of her partner's alarm. She seemed flustered, as she had her side to Mastema, wildly gesturing to the male, babbling something about their souls being tethered to a 'mirror world.'

"Beta..." the male whispered, "I think she can see us."

...

:D more characters coming in later!

I apologize in advance if any of the characters in this story are out of character, or if i get some canon events wrong. I've been playing maplestory hardcore 'til 2012, but only sporadically since then, so my grasp on the lore isn't what i'd like it to be.

and Chibi, i'm thinking of keeping things in the demon slayer's perspective for the time being, but yeah, getting a handle on what the surviving maple heroes think of the situation seems like a good idea.


	4. Fate of the Future

The girl clamped her mouth shut. Turning to face Mastema, she wasted no time drawing her massive sword, and lunged at the demon. "Beta, wait-" the blond male cried, but his partner had only ears for battle. Sighing in forfeit, he prepared to switch in case Beta felt the need. It was unlikely, as they were the Transcendents of Time, but the duo they'd been watching were undeniably beings of immense power.

The first blow was completely unrefined; the girl moved to execute a two-handed uppercut, her front completely exposed as the massive blade trailed behind her. Readying her sword to block, the instant their blades made contact, Mastema found herself launched backwards; her advanced guard was broken as if it was nothing. Suspending herself in the air, she glanced at Damon. He didn't appear to notice the battle raging around him.

Turning her attention back to the strangers, Mastema assessed the situation. She didn't expect such overwhelming strength from what appeared to be a clueless, sheltered mistress. The moment she entered spirit form, though, she had locked eyes with the male of the pair. They were likely observing her and Damon for whatever reason, although it didn't appear hostile. He stared at her now, arms at the ready, but there was no malice behind his eyes. It was a guarded look; he didn't understand the situation either, and judging by his call for Beta to wait, he would likely be willing to talk.

"Stop!" Mastema shouted, still hovering. "I don't know who you are, but I don't mean any harm."

"Are you one of Will's people? A servant of the Black Mage?" Beta asked.

"No. I don't know who Will is. My...friend and I...we hate the Black Mage. And we are alone."

The male advanced until he was beside Beta. "Now that's convenient. Will's the name of the spider king who constructed this world, and we're trapped in this dimension until we can get rid of him. After that, we're going for the Black Mage's head, too."

"Alpha! What are you doing?" Beta asked. He merely shrugged and said "It's not like she can beat us. Besides, how long have we been stuck here? Dunno about you, but I'd rather not kill the first person besides those boring priests who claims to have a common enemy." Raising his voice, he called out to Mastema "How did you get here? Anyway? It's supposed to be some kind of private dimension."

The Demon slowly descended. Damon would berate her for lowering her guard so easily, but she instinctively felt that she had nothing to fear from these two. "Alpha, was it?" the blond boy nodded. "My friend and I are both demons from Tynerum. That's in a dimension further away than this one. This is the first time I've taken spirit form in years, and my goal is to seek out anyone willing to form an alliance with us against the Black Mage."

Alpha's eyes narrowed. "You said you two were alone...and you're jumping to other dimensions to find allies? What, you two on the run from something?"

Mastema winced. Alpha was clearly much more observant than Beta, who simply stood there, sword lowered now, wearing a confused expression on her face. "Do you know of the maple alliance?" She asked.

"No, and you didn't answer my question."

Mastema dropped her weapon. She was taking a huge risk here, and even as she raised her hands in surrender, she began channelling power into her obsidian skin._ It never hurts to be careful, I suppose. _She thought as she began walking towards them. "I am going to ask you to hold my hands. I can show you our situation via telepathy, and then you can decide whether to help us. Know that if you do, I'm completely willing to aid you in destroying this...spider king."

Alpha looked sceptical, but Beta, seeing her opponent unarmed, took Mastema's hand. When the demon girl motioned with her spare hand, Alpha followed her lead. 

...

"Okay...okay okay...give us a sec, here." Alpha paced with clearly exaggerated agitation, brandishing his long sword. Beta and Mastema sat on the ground. "Your friend, this...Damon, has sworn to make the Black Mage pay for his family's murder, and he was so intent on exacting revenge personally that he _attacked and killed_ his teammates for fear of them getting in the way of his vengeance, pissing off this alliance of the most powerful beings in the world, and you want us to be his new teammates?"

Mastema's initial contact had granted her access into Alpha and Beta's minds, and she knew Alpha was simply creating a drama for the sake of it. The boy was bored, and believed himself to be utterly invincible. However, it would not be wise to let them know about her mind-reading ability, so she played along. "You two will be on your guard, will you not? You do seem incredibly strong..."

Alpha stopped his pacing, closed his eyes, and smirked. "You have good eyes, Mastema." He cleared his throat, expression growing serious. "This brother of his, though, he's more powerful than the Transcendent of Life?"

Mastema bit her lips. "We don't know. It's likely, but the Transcendent of Life had all of her energy tied up in the world tree at the time of the attack, so nobody is certain of her true strength. She's since been freed, though, and I can show you to her when we get out of here, if you want."

Alpha shook his head. "We'll approach her on our own terms, when we're ready." Realizing too late it sounded like a threat, Alpha opened his mouth to clarify that the meant no harm to the Transcendent of Life when Beta raised her hand, and Mastema laughed. She caught herself and, still smiling, said "Beta, this isn't a classroom. If we're all going to be partners, you don't need permission to ask a question."

The blond girl hugged her shins, bringing her knees up and resting her chin upon them. "Do you know anything...about the Transcendent of Time?" Alpha raised his eyebrows at this.

Mastema frowned. "Rhinne? Not much is known about her, save that one day, she suddenly disappeared, and her temple's guardians began attacking anyone on sight. Why do you ask?"

Alpha sat down, sighed heavily and crossed his legs. "What Beta means to say," he paused, then opened his eyes and laid a hand on Beta's shoulder, "is that we are the two halves of the new Transcendent of Time."

Mastema started. She hadn't read that thought. In fact, she couldn't read anything about the Transcendents at all from them. "Do you trust everyone so easily?" she asked. If these two were the Transcendents of Time, it would make sense for the Black Mage to want to seal them here. Setting them free could mean the Maple World stabilizing and moving away from Grandis.

Alpha smirked. "I don't need you to lecture me on trust. I've been betrayed by all the friends and mentors I've known. I will choose to trust whoever I want with whatever I want. Now, we'll help you kill the Black Mage, because like your friend, we have somewhat of a personal grudge against him, too."

Mastema, still startled by the unexpected revelation, inclined her head in thanks. "I suppose that's why you're skeptical on seeing the transcendent of life."

Beta nodded, and, taking Alpha's hand, said, "Come, link hands with us. We'll go to Will's hideout now, okay?"

Mastema retrieved her sword, and took the blond girl's hand.

...

The room she arrived in was menacing. A white-haired sorcerer was tinkering with the controls of a large capsule-like structure in the middle of the room. It was filled with red liquid, and Mastema could sense a waning power being siphoned away from it. The sorcerer turned to face them. "The goddess managed to bring three of you? My, oh my, I should thank her for teaching me never to entrust sensitive matters to the hands of lesser scum again." His eyes widened as he focused on Mastema. "What are you doing here...? No matter; the master wishes to speak with Damon. He is pleased that his old commander came to his senses in the end. Oh, Damien is alive, by the way."

"You're one of the Black Mage's commanders?" Mastema asked coolly. Will inclined his head and bowed, "Second in magical ability only to Akarium. I've heard much about you, Mastema of Tynerum."

Mastema smiled, intentionally baring her fangs. She had never deigned to look at a mirror when she tried to intimidate, but Will clearly missed the point, returning her smile.

"It appears you haven't been keeping up with current events, then." Mastema's demon's fury was boiling. "We know much more about your precious Black Mage and the black wings than you think, and we have no intention of rejoining him. Everything is going exactly according to Damon's plans." A bluff, but Will had no way of knowing.

Will glared at her, and claws erupted from his robes towards her. As if on cue, Alpha and Beta charged at the spider king. Mastema took off, avoiding the attack and weaving around the capsule to attack him from behind. As she closed in, a spider leg emerged and she barely had time to guard as it knocked her off-course. "Cut them! They're connected to his magic, so if you sever the link, they disappear!" Alpha shouted. He was fighting hard, fending off attack after attack, with Beta taking care of any claws he missed. It was slow, but they were advancing on the spider king.

Somersaulting, Mastema landed on the other side of the room, aimed her trajectory right above Will's head, and kicked off. Will still had his back to her, but two claws ripped ripped through his cape, heading straight for her. Moulding her demon fury and giving it physical form, she focused on the claws moving to intercept her, and screamed "Binding Darkness!" It was a technique she'd observed Damon use on occasion. It wasn't especially powerful, but it served to immobilise the enemy and do some damage in the process.

Tendrils of darkness laced with a golden aura surrounded her body, then snapped out, catching the Spider King's claws. He struggled, but the darkness held. From her observations, Will couldn't summon more than eight claws at any given time, so now he was down to six. Alpha and Beta were beating him back now; they had almost reached Will. Continuing her line of flight, she alit right behind Will and marked her blade between his shoulder blades. Exerting enough strength to make its presence felt, Mastema prepared her demon impact. "It's over." She said.

The spider king halted his attacks, withdrawing his claws, and smirked. "It seems I've underestimated you all." With that, he teleported away in a flash of light. "No! You coward! You need to answer my –" Alpha stopped short when Beta tapped his arm. Following her gaze, Mastema and Alpha laid eyes upon a legend returned to life.

Flowing platinum locks as long as her body were held in place by a glowing golden tiara, and though she wore a plain white dress, a faint blue glow enveloped her body, emanating from a large hourglass clasped between her hands. Before them, Rhinne, the Goddess of Time, slowly materialized. The history books had captured her likeliness remarkably well.

But something was wrong. Her materialization was incomplete; parts of her body was transparent, and Mastema's guess soon proved correct when the Goddess turned to her and said, "I thank you for your help in defeating Will. My children, with the destruction of the commander's plans, this world has become destabilized. I've not much time left."

Alpha wasted none of their remaining time. "Goddess, you never answered my question. Do you...regret creating us?"

Rhinne opened her eyes. They were blue like her aura. "No. I was never a fighter; my powers were spent in maintaining the very fabric of our existence. Thus I was easily defeated and sealed. However, you two are warriors, and although you are young, I have absolute faith in both you and Beta to defeat the Black Mage and return peace to the Maple World. The mirror world is collapsing. Live well, my children."

Darkness flooded her vision, and Mastema could feel Alpha and Beta focusing intently, as if waiting for something. Cracks began to form in the walls, but as the room began flaking away, the demon girl realized that the cracks were pieces of the dimension that were breaking apart.

Will had said he was the second most powerful magic user out of the Black Mage's commanders, which, if his words were to be believed, put him ahead of Hilla in terms of strength. Mastema had fought the female commander before, having played a role in evicting her from Azwan, and that was with a force of thirty adventurers. Mastema herself had done admittedly little against Will, and though she didn't see much of Alpha or Beta's fighting, they must be incredibly powerful.

As the last pieces of the dimension crumbled away, Mastema's thoughts returned to Beta's fighting style in particular. The girl had strength, but her technique was wild and unrefined; she either had very little regard for her own safety, or simply didn't know any better. That pointed to a distinct lack of training and experience. She guessed that Alpha was the same, although he was fast enough that she couldn't tell for certain real openings from after-images left by his speed. These two were already easily on the level of the Maple Heroes, and if Damon were to train them, she shuddered at the strength they could potentially develop.

The world faded to black.

...

Mastema opened her eyes to a world of blue. She found herself in some kind of temple, and both Alpha and Beta were there, bearing down on a young girl who bore a striking resemblance to Rhinne. She caught the tail end of their conversation: "...can see the future, so just tell us what happens! What do you mean a threat greater than the black mage may surface in his place? How do we prevent it!" Both Alpha and Beta appeared distraught.

The Rhinne lookalike lowered her gaze and shook her head sadly. "I can tell you your own fate, if you wish to know so badly, but as I said during our first meeting, every being has the power to change their future, except the Transcendent of Time. I cannot know for certain whether this latent threat will mature until the day it does."

Alpha and Beta exchanged a look. "No." They said in unison. "Whatever it may be... we're gonna conquer our fate." They turned as Mastema joined them. Seeing the confusion on the demon girl's face, Alpha explained, "I recreated the mirror world at the exact instant of its shattering. Rhinne here has lost her powers, but she still has memory of what she's seen throughout time. We were just asking her about the future."

Mastema nodded. "Did you have a read of my future?" Rhinne became statuesque, and Mastema looked at Alpha for assistance before the Goddess spoke. "You are different. You can change your future, but you won't. Your sands of time are almost dry, being replaced by blood and tears; you will die soon, in battle, and your death will be the catalyst to a tragedy that will give birth to a new era of the Maple World."


	5. The Calm Before the Storm

Damon woke from a surprisingly deep sleep to Mastema stirring in his lap. He had brought her down into his old basement, so his hand flew to his sceptre when he found himself in the company of two shadowy strangers. An hourglass materialized in one of their palms, lighting up the basement, revealing a cheery-faced blond boy. "Hey Damon, Mastema's told us all about you. I'm Alpha and this here is my other half, Beta. Nice to meet you." He extended a hand in greeting.

_Other half? _Damon took it, then shook Beta's when she offered. "How did you get in here without me noticing?" He enquired. Glancing up at the trapdoor, he saw that the alarm he'd rigged had not been triggered. Alpha and Beta glanced at each-other, and shrugged. Mastema had roused herself and taken her place beside Damon by now.

"They can take spirit form, too... It's a long story" she said, "Lets go upstairs, with the four of us, there's no need to fear any attackers, and such an environment as this -she gestured to the basement - is hardly conducive to engaging storytelling." A gleam in her eye suggested to Damon that he was about to be surprised, a suspicion all but confirmed when the blond twins shared a glance, smiling knowingly.

...

Damon forced himself to stay awake while Alpha relayed his tale of growing up in a military establishment, finding Beta sealed in a capsule and eventually escaping, narrowly evading capture by the spider king, will. He cared little for his companions' history, and if Mastema trusted them, given her mind-reading ability, then he felt no reason not to. He listened out of politeness; his time as a general of the Black Wings had drilled into him the importance of first impressions, and he did not want to risk offending his party members just yet.

However, his fatigue was swept away by a wave of excitement, questions, and trepidation when Alpha revealed they were the new Transcendents of Time. "Wait! So can you tell me if I'm going to be able to vanquish the Black Mage in the end?" Damon gripped the hilt of his sceptre. This was his moment of truth.

Alpha and Beta both shook their heads. It was the girl who answered. "Our powers are new, and we are mainly combat-oriented, anyway, so we don't know when we'll be able to look into the stream of time. Think of us as...powerful warriors, for the time being. 'Cause that's what we are, right now." She made a 'v' for victory sign with her index and middle finger, flashing him a mischievous grin.

Damon suppressed the urge to tell her off. The little girl was making light of her inadequacy when the fate of the entire world could rest on it. Mastema put a reassuring arm around his shoulder, but Damon shrugged it off. Seeing that, Beta's smile vanished, eyebrows creasing into an annoyed frown. "Is something the matter?" Damon asked evenly. Beta ignored him. Turning to Alpha , she said "I don't like this man. Mastema said he attacked his comrades, but she made it sound like he was a good person in heart..." She made no effort to lower her voice.

Damon didn't move, but the darkening of his aura betrayed his fury. _You told them that!? _He thought with all his strength. For once, he wished Mastema was in his mind right now.

She was.

"Damon, it was necessary." She quickly explained, trying to diffuse the situation. She also needed to speak to Beta in private, and soon. "Tales of your...treachery, for lack of a better word, must be spreading like wildfire, being exaggerated to no end. It was better they learn the truth from a credible source, anyway. Besides, you're above keeping secrets from allies, aren't you?" The jumble of thoughts flowing from Damon made her relax. When in doubt, invoking the Demon Slayer's pride always worked.

His aura lightened, and, adjusting his seating, Damon faced the blond twins, and said, "Beta, how have I offended you?" Before the blond girl could answer, Mastema interrupted again. "T-that's beside the point, here. So, um...a party can have six souls linked for communication. We have four members right now, so...Alpha, Beta, do you have any friends you think might want to join?"

Beta wore her confusion blatantly in her features. "Huh? Didn't we already tell you everyone in the Mirror World betrayed us? The priests can hardly fight...Rhinne's powers are gone, too."

Damon broke in, then. "Mastema, when you mentioned another dimension I had thought you were heading for Grandis. You haven't tried Pantheon yet, have you?"

"No, and I suppose we should head there soon. Alpha and Beta can take spirit form, too..." She paused, looking questioningly at the duo. "Yeah, we'll come." Alpha said.

Mastema thought for a second, then, "No...actually, you said the two of your souls are permanently linked, right? So anything you learn, Beta will also intrinsically know?" Alpha nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"Understood, then. When we had just met and Beta attacked me, and also when we were fighting Will, I noticed a lot of errors...openings in her stance. You were too fast for me to tell for sure, but am I right in saying neither of you have had any official combat training?"

Beta blushed, and Alpha scowled. "No...those dogs must have led my form astray on purpose so I'd be an easier adversary to defeat when the time came...Beta's had no training at all, so she just draws on what I know. You're absolutely right."

Mastema smiled sympathetically. "I suggest Beta accompany me to Grandis, while you stay here with Damon to learn some proper combat. The two of you are already incredible combatants, but just imagine how strong you could become if your techniques were rebuilt on solid groundwork?"

Alpha grinned. "So, you've already taken into account our relative mental capacities, eh?" Mastema smiled back, and Beta swung her head between the two of them. "...What? I don't get it..." she finally said.

Alpha rubbed her hair. "Don't worry about it. Be a good girl and find us some allies, yeah? So we can rescue Damien from the Black Mage then destroy that stupid villain for good!"

Beta blushed again and beamed. "Yeah!"

...

"Mastema...you like Damon, don't you?" Beta asked as they walked across the fields of Pantheon. The demon girl sighed, "It's incredibly complicated."

They carried on in silence for a while; Beta couldn't fly, and didn't know any locations which they could safely teleport to, so they were limited to walking speed. In truth, Mastema knew this was going to happen, but she couldn't risk Beta being around Damon in her absence. The blond girl's innocent ignorance left her mouth hanging on loose hinges, giving voice to whatever happens to be in her head at any given point in time. Damon's wasn't one to mince words, either, and his temper was hardly stable. Their personalities clashing could potentially lead to swords, and then things could get very ugly.

Mastema had only known Beta for a few hours, too, and long years carrying out all manner of errands for Damon on the Black Mage's behalf had taught her not to grow too comfortable around people she'd just met. She knew Beta had no ill intentions, though, but alas she searched unsuccessfully for topics of conversation. However, Beta seemed to feel none of Mastema's awkwardness, and eventually said, "Hey, you told us all about Damon, but what about you? I thought you were his wife or girlfriend, at first, but that's not it, right? So why are you fighting for him when he's so mean to you and dangerous...he's wanted now isn't he?"

Sighing again, she began forming the words 'it's complicated' again before catching herself. She'll have to tell her someday, and wasn't she the one talking about not keeping secrets? "Well," Mastema began, "We met one day...the years have blurred, but it must be over a century ago. We demons have long lives, you see." Mastema closed her eyes. "I had always been shunned by my people, because of a...special power. It made them suspicious of me; nobody could remain a friend for long once they found out about it, so-"

"What is it?" Beta asked?

"Incredible insight, or so I thought." _I can trust her...I can trust them both. _"But one day, when I was small and playing with friends, I was showing it off, and I read exactly what all of them were thinking. And I was horrified – heartbroken, as some of the most important people in my life changed their perspective of me from admiration to terror within the span of seconds. I felt every individual thought in my mind...there were fears for their privacy, for their future; they feared being manipulated by me. Some of them were thinking that I was cursed and should be executed as summarily as possible."

Beta's eyes widened in awe "You can read minds!? That's so cool! I'd love to be your friend! We're friends, right?"

Mastema was stunned into silence. "You're not worried at all? You're not afraid that I can tell what you're thinking without you even knowing?" Beta was struggling to make sense of this question. She was a simple girl, and couldn't understand why she would be afraid of Mastema just because she knew what she was thinking. It was then that Mastema reminded herself that Beta had only been conscious of the world for a few days. For all intents and purposes, she was a newborn baby.

"It doesn't matter," Mastema eventually said, acknowledging that Beta didn't have the experience to rationalize her question. "Anyway, I was banished from Tynerum, the home of the demons, into this dimension. I was still a child, and I had no way of taking care of myself. And so I became a wanderer, starving and begging for whatever I could to get by. Eventually, I was on the verge of death, collapsed on the ground and half-delirious when Damon found me."

Mastema smiled at the memory. "Back then, he was one of the Black Mage's commanders. When he saw me, a demon child lay dying in the fields... Oh, Beta, when his boots entered my view, it took all of my strength to turn my head and focus at the face of the man who stood above me. It sounds so ironic to say, but I could have sworn that I was looking at the face of an angel that day. His face was stoic and serene, and his wings looked white, bathed in sunlight. The thought was solidified when he scooped me up in his arms and I felt a rejuvenating wave of energy flowing into me...Over a hundred years I've lived, and I could never recall feeling, nor can I ever profess to have felt as good as I did in that single instant."

Understanding flooded Beta's features. "He saved your life." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, and physical contact is all I need to open up a link to someone's mind, so my joy shortlived; it was swiftly overwhelmed by a deluge of hatred and sorrow. I took great care when informing him of my powers, and simply told him I had extremely strong powers of insight, which led to my people throwing me out, thinking I was cursed. It was close enough to the truth, anyway. He took me under his wing, then, and gave me a new life; the first ever lieutenant of the Black Wings. I owed him doubly, now."

Beta frowned. "...When Alpha rescued me, before we found out we were two halves of the Transcendent of Time, the first thing he told me was that I was free...that I could do whatever I wanted to. He didn't make me into his servant!"

Mastema inwardly cringed. _What can I say to that?_ "Yes, the circumstances of our respective rescues and saviours were different, but I...I was okay with being his servant. Despite how he acts, he always trusted me with the most sensitive matters. When he discovered that the Black Mage had had his family slaughtered, he entrusted me with a message to the maple heroes, before leaving to face the black mage himself."

"You are right, Beta. Across the years, I had slowly begun to develop feelings for him...because despite all his rage, he was the one person around whom I felt I could belong; he relied on me too, to run errands. When he ordered I flee, I obeyed out of love, though all my being wanted to charge into that room with him, even if it meant my death. It was then that I realized I owed him my life three times over. Imagine what I felt when he was struck down and imprisoned for a hundred years."

Beta pursed her lips, her features settling into a serious expression. Mastema couldn't help but feel jealous that Damon would soon be spending time around her; the blond girl was adorable, and full of innocence - a blank slate, unlike herself, who had been corrupted by decades of fell deeds. Damon expressed no interest towards her, but that's not to say he wouldn't fall for Beta. A cry interrupted her thoughts.

"Intruders! Taste the blade of Velderoth!" A young man exploded from a nearby bush, but his movements were amateurish, and Mastema easily intercepted a clumsy swing. Off balance, Velderoth was left vulnerable as Beta brought the hilt of her sword into his chest, splintering his breastplate and knocking him flying. Mastema raised her eyebrows as he spread two scaly wings, catching and stabilizing himself in the air. A Nova.

He clutched his injured torso, shedding the remains of his armor. "I won't run...Kyle and Tear are so strong now...I can't run! I'm a guardian of Pantheon!" He charged toward them, beating his wings. Unfurling her own, Mastema met the Nova in the air, and within the span of two seconds and five blows, had shattered his sword and left a serious wound in his left shoulder.

Realizing he was outmatched, Velderoth took off, "You'll pay for this! I'll grow even more powerful, I swear!"

"Beta!" Mastema shouted, her eyes never leaving the Nova's receding form as he fled. "Hang on, we're giving chase. If he alerts the Pantheon guard, we'll never make it into the city. We need to sort this out – diplomatically, if possible." Beta nodded, and jumped onto her back, wrapped her arms around her waist. Though she was burdened, Velderoth was injured, and she had every confidence a second-rate Nova like him wouldn't be able to outpace her.

...

Alpha signalled a pause in their sparring. "Your lieutenant has just been telling Beta quite the sob-story about the good ol' days, ya know." He said between heavy breaths.

The Demon Slayer had not broken a single sweat, yet had managed to intercept and match even Alpha's divinely-enhanced spin cutter-rolling cross combo blow for blow. "I admit I almost acted out of hand earlier. I tell myself this all the time, to be perfectly honest, but I will endeavour to place more trust in my subordinate in the future."

"Oh? What were you going to do?"

"Try and intimidate your partner. I was about to trigger my metamorphosis."

"Huh? You've been holding back on me?" Alpha inspected his long sword in mock horror. "Even the blunt edge of this sword could seriously hurt, you know."

"You haven't noticed?" Damon walked closer. "Look at yourself, utterly exhausted. You're a showman. Your speed is remarkable, which is probably why you haven't needed to change your technique, but your attacks are punctuated by needless flurries; you can be even faster with a few simple adjustments and omitting some brandishes. Here, attack me again, try not to yank your sword in the opposite direction unless in a desperate situation." The new Transcendent of Time was powerful; he and his other half had already defeated one of the Black Mage's commanders, albeit with Mastema's help. To their credit, none of them were so much as scratched.

Alpha grinned; Damon was cold, but he was deadly serious about this training. So he charged, feinting to Damon's leg before somersaulting in blinding speed to slash across the demon's torso. However, he saw the demon knock aside his long sword with a backhand, and instead of bringing his arm back the same way, striking again with a forehand, he let the momentum of the swing spin his body around, striking with an even stronger backhand. The makeshift wooden club shattered against Alpha's side as the Transcendent of Time was flung away by the force, landing in a crumpled heap almost ten meters away. He both gasped for air and spluttered as he choked on grass and dirt. "Damn, man!"

Damon tossed aside the remains of his club, and said "You need to work on your landings, too. It's harder without wings, but you need to learn how to manipulate your core to always land on your feet, or at least on your side so you can roll and absorb the shock of the fall. We have a lot to work on."

Alpha smiled despite himself; sure, he was under the tutelage of a cold-hearted demon who's betrayed everything closest to him, but at least for the time being, that demon wasn't trying to kill him, and that was definitely a change for the better.

...

Mastema blanched as they exited the portal following Velderoth. By the Nova's reaction, he was just as shocked. She felt a gloved hand slip into her palm, and squeezed it without a word. Beta spoke in a small voice. "I think...we're in over our heads with this one."

Before them stretched a battlefield as far as the eye could see. Black Wing forces clashed against the glowing specters of Helisium. The scale of the battle was like nothing Mastema had seen before, and as it was, the bulk of the Black Wings had reached the gates of the Tyrant Castle. Mastema had been here a few times before to help with skirmishes, since Pantheon never had the forces to mount a full assault. Thus she could appreciate the tactical cunning and sheer manpower it would have taken to drive the Helisium Spectres all the way to their stronghold.

But though the Tyrant Castle's gates was under seige, none could overcome the stalwart sentinel that stood guard at its gates. The massive Nova dragon must have lived through centuries to reach that size; clad in thorny, deep blue battle armor, the Nova's skin was an even darker gray than her own and Damien's, although cracks of luminescent cyan ringed his armor and wings. Judging by the size of the specters around him, his individual horns must have been at least half a meter long, although one was broken, its stub half-hidden by an unkempt, savage black mane. His irises glowed a sickly yellow, and in a single hand he held a ghastly blade twist the size of Beta's. Wielding it as if swinging a bag of feathers, each time the blade struck, multiple Black Wings troops were either sent flying or rent in two. His roars were deafening, even in the distance.

"Magnus..." Velderoth breathed. "Sweet Darmoor...how can anyone stand up against THAT?" His trembling knees finally gave, and Mastema approached him. "Velderoth, we're not enemies. Forget about us; go warn the others in Pantheon. We'll deal with this here." It was a bluff. She had no idea what she and Beta were going to do, and she barely noticed as Velderoth dove back into the portal. Just then, a flurry of motion snapped her gaze toward the direction of the Black Wings' army.

From the center of the Black Fleet's encirclement, red as a cardinal caked in blood, red as steel hot to forge, red as a blazing ember of sorrow and anger, Damien uttered a demon's cry on par with Magnus's roar. Taking to the skies with a speed almost too fast for Mastema to see, a visible shockwave rippled through the Black Wings' fleet, rocking the ships. Mastema and Beta winced as the pressure washed across them.

And as the fiery comet descended toward the battlefield brandishing his fury-charged blade, Magnus beat his ancient wings to meet it. "This is my world!" He growled.

...

"Damon." Alpha said. "They've found your brother...and a big problem."

...

Ok...this story's kinda taken a different turn than what I originally intended; Mastema's become the focal point, now, although I still intend her to share the spotlight with the Demon Slayer. Other characters will get their little side-chapters to flesh out the story a bit more. I'm still trying to have events play out as realistically as possible if it were in canon, but to be 100% honest, although i have a kaiser, I've pretty much forgotten the storyline and I never did the magnus prequests to fight him. HOWEVER! I do know the gist of Grandis's lore, and I am assaulting maplewiki to get as much information (which, regrettably, is not much) as I can to do the characters justice.

I have this story's genre listed as Tragedy/Romance, and the tragedy aspect is about to begin ;) Drop some reviews if you've read 'til now, please :P any feedback will be appreciated. (although to the person who just wrote "gay", would you please elaborate why o.O?) Any suggestions about how to improve on weaknesses in my writing are appreciated, too. Thanks in advance, everyone!


	6. The Storm Breaks

The Tyrant of Helisium raised his blade towards the sky. Blood gushed from the wounds streaking his wings as he roared, commanding the heavens to obey his will. Every beat splattered the air with fresh droplets of Nova blood. Damien was too quick. In sheer strength and power, Magnus was stronger, faster in straight-line speed, and commanded more powers and abilities, but the difference in their size made it easy for the demon to evade his strikes, chipping away at his exposed wings.

Lips curled in disgust, Magnus brought his blade down with both hands, sending a wave of energy that cut a bloody swathe in the Black Wing's army.

Damien strafed, avoiding it. "Binding Darkness!" He called, and shadows whipped out from around him to immobilize the Nova Dragon. Propelling himself toward the dragon's head, he raised his sword to deal the killing blow; Magnus's sword was still down, and was not in a position to defend against it. Roaring, he struggled against the Binds, and the shadows trembled under the weight of his strength, but held.

A burning meteor sailed toward Damien, forcing him to swerve. He brought his sword down nonetheless, narrowly missing the Tyrant's neck, cutting deeply into his right wing. The shadows disappeared, and, roaring, Magnus plummeted from the sky. As Damien moved to follow, the clouds about them broke to reveal hundreds of flaming meteors headed toward him. Cursing, the demon followed Magnus's descent, and engaged the Tyrant in melee combat.

His right wing dragging uselessly behind him, Magnus swung again and again, his blade never reaching its mark. Each empty strike blew up a cloud of dust and created a gust that sent nearby troops airborne. Nonetheless, he was advancing, and Damien could not reach anything his armour wasn't covering. Cursing again, the demon took to the skies, and Magnus commanded the meteors to converge toward him. The Nova was in poor shape, and Damien had yet to suffer a single injury, but he knew all it would take was one blow, and victory was his.

"Stand and fight me, you coward! I thought rising from the dead would have given you some spine!" Magnus shook his sword at the demon. He was faster than the meteors, but one mistake and it would be over. He didn't even spare the trash a glance as he swatted aside the hordes of Black Wings assailing him. When he stamped a foot down and two dozen Black Wings were sent flying by the shockwave, no more dared to approached him.

Damien looked down at scene, hovering in place despite the meteor threat, "One does not win by charging blindly against a stronger opponent, Tyrant." He goaded "I would have thought someone who defeated the great Kaiser and conquered Helisium knew that. Or were the rumours true, and you simply claimed victory on borrowed power?"

Seething, Magnus roared. "You are less than nothing, maggot! I'll crush you with my bare hands!" Launching himself into the air, Magnus forgot about his right wing, and crashed back onto the ground. Seeing his chance, Damien dove toward him, swerving sideways at the last moment as a hundred meteors bombarded their summoner. The screeches of the ancient Nova Dragon grated on the nerves, and many combatants fell to their knees, covering their ears. Blow after blow, the meteors fell on Magnus, and when it was over, the battlefield quietened. Soldiers from both sides stopped their fighting to peer into the cloud of dust that enveloped the resulting crater. If Magnus had fallen, Helisium would fall with him.

Damien shivered and felt the hairs on his arm and neck stand on end as a growl so low in pitch it was barely audible rippled through the battlefield. The dust cloud dissipated with a beat of a mighty wing. Magnus clawed his way out of the massive crater, armour in ruins and body covered in scratches. His hair was singed, and his lips were cracked, but he spoke regardless. "Maggot! Do you think I would just roll over and die to some underhanded trickery like that!?" He planted his blade into the ground, using it as a crutch as he advanced again towards the demon. His unsteady gait gave courage to some of the Black Wings, but after a swipe of his hand sent five men sprawling, two of which he stepped on and crushed with a grisly crunch, the rest vacated his path.

Damien smirked, unperturbed by the brutality he was witnessing. "It's over, Magnus. Yours is the fate that awaits all who oppose the master. He whom you dared to betray...Maggot."

With a roar, Magnus summoned another purple meteor in his palm, and hurled it at Damien. The demon dodged, ignoring the screams from behind as the meteor smashed into a the cluster of his forces that had rallied behind him. He was about to retaliate when a shattering demon's cry split the air.

...

Damon flew toward the site of the duel with all his might, with Mastema trailing closely behind. He had Alpha on his back, while his subordinate carried Beta. Heading toward his former ally Magnus, he would help his brother defeat the Nova dragon, convince him to leave the Black Wings and help him vanquish the Black Mage and avenge his family. His luck had finally turned for the better. Magnus was easily the most powerful of the old generals; with him out of the way, Von Leon was the only combat-oriented general left.

That plan was swept away as Damien nigh teleported next to him, arm curving down in what would have been a lethal blow had he not raised his arm to intercept it. Surprised at his younger brother's speed, he whispered his thanks as his father's old bracer took the blow and held. "Damien!? What are you-" Damon's startled protest was cut short as a flurry of blows from his younger brother forced him to draw his sceptre and defend. His brother had taken up the sword, after all. He would have to berate him for picking such a cliched weapon.

"Stop this madness, little brot-"

"Don't you dare call me that!" Damien all but snarled, bearing down at him again, though he twisted to avoid a blow from Mastema. "Mastema, stop!" Damon commanded. He didn't know what was happening, but he didn't want his little brother hurt. "Help me defend until we talk some sense into him!"

...

Alpha had jumped off his back, the moment Damien attacked, and Beta had followed him to the ground. The two of them now stood before Magnus, who had sunken to one knee, bracing himself on the hilt of his blade. As Mastema and Damon duelled with Damien, he asked the two blond newcomers. "What the hell is going on? Who is Damien? Wasn't I just fighting Damon? Why are there now three of those demon runts!? And why are they fighting each other!?"

Beta put her hands on her hips, straightening to her full height. Even with the Nova tyrant kneeling, she still barely reached his waist. Nonetheless, she glared at Magnus, meeting his eyes and holding the gaze. "No, you were fighting DAMIEN. And you will NOT call Mastema a runt!" she commanded.

Alpha pulled her behind him, preparing for an attack, but Magnus simply sighed. "I don't know who you are, but you're definitely not Nova, and you don't smell like a Mapler, either. I'm not about to attack you and risk entering into another inter-dimensional war over something as trivial as that. No-matter. It would seem that we have a common enemy." He gestured toward the fighting demons.

"You don't know who he is, do you?" Alpha asked, not lowering his guard. Despite his words and his grievous wounds, Magnus's very appearance screamed 'threat', and he was not about to approach this situation with anything but the highest of caution.

Magnus growled, and Beta reached for Alpha's hand. "I thought he was Damon the Demon Slayer, former general and turncoat of the Black Mage. Word had it that he'd been killed by the old boss. But that demon he's fighting now, the one with the sceptre...heh, how could I forget the sceptre. Damon never used a sword...so who the hell is he?"

It was Beta who answered. "He's Damien, Damon's younger brother. Damon thought he was killed by the Black Ma-"

Alpha gripped Beta's hand harder, stopping her in her tracks. "Beta..." He warned, "I need you to stop talking right now." Beta looked hurt and confused, but obeyed. Alpha clenched his teeth. How was a bad time for his other half to be trying to play diplomat.

Magnus chuckled, releasing his sword. It stayed upright, embedded in the ground. "You're with Damon, then. And that other one must be Mastema, the old demon's subordinate...I remember now. I knew that name sounded familiar when you said it, girl." His voice was thin and nasally, but now it had a soft touch to it. He slowly rose, taking his eyes off Alpha and Beta, and looking at the trio clashing in the sky. The battlefield had stilled once again.

"I remember the day he left. Damon and I were...I suppose you could say we shared a tenuous friendship. He saw fit to warn me of the destruction he had seen wreaked unto his family when the Maple Heroes attacked. I remember his half-heartedly hidden tears as he swore vengeance on the old boss."

Alpha was dumbstruck. That must mean this behemoth was a commander of the Black Mage, too. So why is Damien attacking him? "What? Then you were one of the commanders?"

"You haven't heard my name? Boy?" Magnus looked down at him, surprised. "I'm Magnus! Tyrant of Helisium. This is my world! And once upon a time, over a hundred years ago, I did serve the Black Mage. But the day Damon rebelled was also the day I left. I took his warning to heart, and abandoned ship before the old boss could betray me, too. He sent me out against Luminous, but I made my way here and covered my tracks, sealing off the dimensional gateway. Our worlds are too close, now, though, and it's reopened." Magnus smirked, and Alpha grimaced _this...thing is the very picture of evil._ "I offered to help him, you know. Against the Black Mage. But the stupid old demon just had to cling onto his pride...something about the vengeance only being pure if it's him fighting alone. I heard later he'd failed and died, but he managed to break the Black Mage's barrier."

Alpha was convinced. "You know why the dimensions are converging, don't you?"

Magnus chuckled. "Of course I do. This is my world, after all. Am I to believe you are aware of the truth, too?"

Alpha looked to Beta, and nodded. "The Black Mage is after the power of the Transcendents...to merge the worlds."

Magnus paused, silent for a moment, then asked, "To know this, you must be one of the commanders of the Black Mage or the one of their loyal servants. So, which are you?"

"Neither. It's a long story, but Beta and I – I'm Alpha, by the way – Beta and I are the children of Rhinne, the Transcendent of Time in Maple World. That makes us two halves of the Transcendent of Time."

Magnus chuckled. "You two kids? Boy, this day is getting interesting. Maybe I am getting out of practice. It's been far too long since I brought down Kaiser...Thought I'd come out and have a warm up before his reincarnation awakens his strength, but look at me no; utterly defeated and shamed before the whole of my army."

Alpha remained silent, the conversation had taken a sensitive turn and he didn't know how to mend a beaten conquerer's broken pride. He was too late to stifle Beta's mouth as she moved to say: "Join us!"

Magnus narrowed his yellow eyes. "Oh? And to what end would you have the companionship of the lord of Helisium?"

"Beta..." Alpha warned, but the girl was continued. "We're going after the Black Mage. We'll explain the details when this is over, but we need two more people. If you join, that leaves space for one more."

"Going after the Black Mage, huh? Well, I was actually thinking about that myself, lately. The armies I send to Maple World to smother him all get cut down by the clueless adventurers who know nothing of the true threat looming above them. And now that he's sent his pawn to invade MY world...yes, I think I'll take you up on this offer of allegiance. I don't care for the details; if you're out for the Black Mage's blood, then count me in."

"You sure talk a lot..." Beta commented, and Magnus simply laughed. He retrieved his sword, and gestured at the onlookers. "Well, maggots. You've had your entertainment for the day; the lord of an entire world has been brought to knee before you. Although those who think they can bring me down are welcome to try." The Black Wings' forces all backed away.

Alpha's mouth was wide in shock, while Beta beamed ear to ear. He could hardly believe his admittedly simple other half had just managed to recruit the ruler of an entire world to their cause. _Maybe naivety and boundless energy does have its uses, after all..._ he grudgingly thought.

...

Damon repelled yet another flurry of his younger brother's strikes. Mastema had joined him in combat, but both of them focussed only on guarding each-other. "Damien, why are you doing this!? Talk with me!"

"Shut up! You betrayed me!"

Damon's vision flashed to over a century ago. He was standing within the gates to the Black Mage's throne, nails digging into the palms of his hands as his fists clenched in rage. "You betrayed me!" He had roared. Yes, the Black Mage had betrayed him. And if he didn't save his brother-

"No, Damien, the Black Mage betrayed us both-"

"I told you to shut up, damn it!" Damien's fury was draining rapidly, and his attacks were slowing, but now a fresh surge of rage empowered his blows. Neither Damon nor Mastema had moved to retaliate, but as a consequence, both had numerous minor wounds from when Damien had sporadically broken through their collective defence. "You never liked me at all! You never spent time with me! You abandoned me then came back and torched my house!"

"...what...?" Damon lost his concentration, and, seeing his chance, Damien lunged for his throat. If not for Mastema's timely intervention, Damon would have died right there and then. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about!?" Damon roared!

Continuing his onslaught, Damien's eyes glowed purple with fury "You came back to torch the house! You killed our-MY mother! I was unconscious but you let me live, telling me you would kill the Black Mage and reform the world! Don't you dare tell me you've forgotten already!"

Damon's face contorted in rage. "Mastema! Attack! My little brother has lost his mind. Fight to maim and incapacitate, not to kill!"

"You are NOT my brother!" Damien roared, before withdrawing to defend against Damon's demon impact.

Damien, surprised at their sudden change of tactics, cursed. "Damn you, Damon! Damn you for showing yourself again, damn you for rising from the dead! Arkarium predicted this! He warned me you might yet return, and he trained me specifically for this day! Now we will finally be even; mother will be avenged!"

Damien's mind clicked. The pieces were finally falling together.

In an instant, Damon saw it all before his eyes.

An elaborate plot woven into a web that transcended dimensions, intertwining the fate of two worlds; a sadistic master puppeteer who would manipulate allies and enemies alike for his own perverted entertainment; a demon child, brainwashed to believe his brother murdered their mother and left him to die; said brother's weakness and selfish pride driving him to face insurmountable odds alone. They were all puppets dancing in Arkarium and the Black Mage's hands.

Arkarium...the one who had razed their house that day; the master magician could shape-shift as easily as he could blink. He had taken on Damon's likeliness, and planted the seeds of hatred into his little brother, leaving him unconscious but away from the flames. Arkarium knew that Damon would not be able to bring himself to confirm his death; demons turned to ash when cremated, anyway. When Damien recovered, he had likely sought out the Black Mage for his brother's whereabouts, and, after being fed another round of lies by Arkarium, had been brainwashed into thinking HIM the enemy.

Damon blinked as tears stung his eyes. A hundred years he had spent in captivity. His little brother had not yet reached teenage when he had vanished from his life. To Damien, Damon was no longer family; he was a relic of a tragic past that needed to be destroyed. Damien...had become his enemy.

"Little brother...I'm sorry..." Damon let loose and his tears flowed as he wailed on his enemy. Each impact of his sceptre removed a chunk of Damien's armor, while the spikes left puncture wounds two inches deep. "I'm sorry! This is for your own good! I'll not have any more people I care about condemned to a life chasing vengeance!"

Cursing, Damien threw his sword at his elder brother, and shoved Mastema out of the way as he withdrew to his ships. "Retreat!" he bellowed, and chaos enveloped the fields of Helisium as the Black Wings scrambled onto their ships.

Damon relaxed his wings, and Mastema caught him, lowering them both gently until they touched down. Magnus approached with Alpha and Beta in tow.

"Mastema. It's been far too long..." Grimacing as he beheld Damon weeping, curled up in a fetal ball in his subordinate's lap, Magnus cleared his throat. "You have some explaining to do."

_Magnus...I'm sorry...if we fought together...Aran...Phantom...I'm so sorry! Oh, I was so wrong! If we had all fought together...If we had won that day..._

_..._

Okay...obvious turning point for Damon the demon slayer. And by the way, he isn't given a real name in canon, but seeing as his 'official' name is demon, his brother is Damien, and Damon is basically Demon with an 'a' instead of the 'e', i thought it was fitting.

So yeah, a different perspective on the Magnus/Black Mage story. Yeah he gets rekt by Damien, but again, since damien hasn't been released yet and each commander just gets stronger, taking into account their relative sizes, I'd say it's not too far-fetched that DamienMagnus in a 1v1 no-holds-barred. I don't know too much about Magnus's popularity in the maplestory fandom, but he just seems like such a cool character to me, so yeah. Another member for the black mage assault team :P Wonder who the last member will be...hmmm :P

And in case it was confusing, basically how it goes in my head is that Arkarium posed as Demon when he burned their house down, and then brainwashed Damien into working for the black mage by saying that his brother betrayed them to torch their house and kill their mother, and the black mage punished him for it. Therefore, black mage = justice. In Damien's mind, he's working for the right side, for the right reasons (which will be revealed later). It sounds feasible...I can't really think of many other explanations to why Damien would want to work for the organization that destroyed his family...


	7. The Nightmare Continues

_Damon's demon's fury feels more tumultuous than ever before._ Mastema thought gravely as Alpha and Beta explained their predicament to Magnus. It's only been mere minutes since the Black Wings withdrew, and Magnus had already ushered the companions into his audience hall to discuss the matters at hand. She wanted Damon to rest, although the Tyrant was rather insistent he be present at the meeting and Mastema was in no position to argue. Spectres shuffled by, bearing plates of fine cookery, and removing the empty ones from the table. Magnus was gorging himself, although he grunted every now and then when something interesting was revealed.

The Demon Slayer had fallen into some sort of trance, and, reading his thoughts, Mastema understood exactly why. As much as he'd acted indifferent to his little brother's existence when he discovered that Damien had survived, he still held onto the hope that they could be reunited again, someday. To be shunned by his little brother now was tough enough, but to discover that they'd both been puppets dancing to Arkarium's strings since even before his defeat and subsequent imprisonment by the Black Mage – over one hundred years ago – broke him.

Arkarium was the snake-devil who'd stood in his path as he arrived at the door to the Black Mage's chamber. He'd eluded him, then, and Damon had never liked the magician. If he had killed Arkarium when he had the chance, none of this would have happened. He could have saved his family.

Even despite that, if he had tag teamed the Black Mage with Magnus as the latter suggested, they may have met with much more success. Even if they ultimately failed, they could have at least put a scratch on the Transcendent before falling.

At the very least, he should have waited to join with the Maple Heroes, who were mere minutes from the Black Mage at the time. His damned pride had sent him barrelling straight to his own demise...

And a hundred years later, he would have repeated his same mistake had Phantom not ambushed him.

It was all his fault.

Mastema couldn't help but feel a little conflicted at his next thoughts, though. He faulted himself for more than his arrogant stupidity; he resolved to do right by his subordinate, and return her affections. Even if it was forced, even if it wasn't truly heartfelt, at least he could give her something she wanted instead of using her mercilessly for his own ends, as he'd done from the day they met.

Had she not possessed the power to read minds, she would be elated if Damon warmed up to her in any way. However, after knowing the motivation behind this resolve of his, she felt almost offended. Nevertheless, she gently fed the listless demon another spoonful of meat. He swallowed, but his eyes were glazed. Something wasn't right, here. His mind was clear and active enough, but it seemed...lost. Worse, there seemed to almost be a second presence there, emanating from his demon's fury.

Pushing the thought out of her mind, she forced more food into her mouth. Not a moment too soon, either, as Alpha and Beta had just concluded their story. Magnus was nodding thoughtfully, chewing loudly. For a time, the only sounds in the room were the scuffle of spectres, the clattering of plates, and the crunching of bones as the Tyrant king shoveled meat into his mouth. What it came from, Mastema didn't know; it tasted like nothing she'd ever eaten before.

Then, Magnus gestured towards her with an oily finger. "Is Damon conscious, yet?" When Mastema motioned in the negative, he growled. "I'm tired of this waiting. It must have been at least a half hour by now. You were always the brains of the couple, anyway. Tell me what your current plan of action is."

Mastema was about to protest his implication of intimacy between herself and Damon, but thought better of it. Instead, "I think you are a perfect example of what we need in our final battle." She said.

The Nova dragon cracked his neck. Baring his fangs in a vicious, though not unfriendly, smile, he replied, "Oh, girl, you know flattery will get you everywhere with me."

Mastema raised an eyebrow. "The only person flattering you is you. I was referring to the unsightly amount of damage you took from Damien... although you do have my respect for resolving to fight until your death."

Magnus sobered. "It was that obvious, eh? That demon runt didn't play fair, but as loathe as I am to admit it, you're right. I was about to meet my end when you bunch showed up. A healer, then."

"Yes...actually, I correct myself. Not necessarily. Damon has an ability which allows us to drain the life force of the enemy as we attack, but we definitely need a magician who can cast reflective barriers and otherwise help us guard against the Black Mage. It would be suicide to face him, the Transcendent of Light and most powerful magic user in the history of time, without any defence against magic."

"Aren't the priests back at the temple all magic users?" Beta chimed in.

"They aren't nearly on the level they'd need to be to stand a chance against the Black Mage." Mastema said. She grimaced. "As it is now, I'm not sure how powerful he has become; even well prepared, we could all be wiped out in an instant."

Alpha scowled. "How did he get this powerful, anyway?"

Before anyone could answer, the doors of the audience hall opened, and a nefarious priest shuffled out of the shadows. "My lord, there is a young nova who requests an audience."

Magnus was visibly surprised by this.

_He must never get any visitors. He's been almost excessively talkative in comparison to the days of old..._Mastema thought.

"Show him in." The tyrant commanded.

The priest withdrew, and, moments later, returned leading Velderoth. The green-haired nova's eyes widened as he saw Mastema and Beta. "What are you two doing here?" He asked, though before either of them could respond, Magnus rose from his throne the head of the table. "You will insult me by addressing my subjects before acknowledging me, the ruler of this world?" He snarled.

Velderoth fell to his hands and knees. "I-I'm sorry, milord Magnus. I ran into some of the people here earlier, when you were still fighting that other army. Please forgive me!"

"Apologies accepted. Now tell me, boy. What business do you have with me?"

The young nova, still kneeling in genteel obeisance, took a deep breath and said, "I wish to enter your service, milord."

Mastema started. _Hadn't he gone to warn Pantheon to prepare for the victors of the battle between Helisium and the Black Wings? Some protector of Pantheon he was._

Magnus remained silent for an uncomfortable length of time, before saying, "I remember you. You're that other piece of trash I defeated along with the Kaiser newborn and that pink-haired brat. What brought about such a change of heart that you would betray your friends?"

Damon twitched, and Mastema winced, severing her link with her master's mind before his psychological trauma could trickle into her mind, too.

"I'm not betraying anyone...and I'm too weak to do anything. Even though I warned Cartelion about the battle here, he refused to let me join the army! I don't care about Pantheon, anymore. They are the ones who betrayed me!"

Magnus laughed. "I like your words." He said. "Rise, boy. Come here."

Velderoth obeyed, though he struggled to keep the shock from his face as he beheld the physical state the Tyrant of Helisium was in. He couldn't meet Beta or Mastema's eyes as he passed them, though the blond girl was glaring so hard at him, he swore he could feel the weight of it. He arrived beside Magnus's throne.

"When will Cartelion arrive?"

"I'm not sure...the Pantheon army is still mobilizing. It will take a few days for them all to prepare."

Magnus grunted, then summoned two nefarious priests to his side. "What's your name, boy?"

"Velderoth, milord."

"Well, then, Velderoth. Remove your armour. I shall grant you the power you desire."

The green haired Nova obeyed, and began to struggled with the clasps of his old breastplate; this one was a size too small for him, but Beta had broken his new one. The moment it clattered to the floor, Magnus glanced at the priests and said. "Accelerate his growth five years, reinforce his bones and muscles as much as they can handle."

Velderoth frowned, "Wait a minute, what-" He didn't get the chance to finish as his body glowed and began to expand as the priests' magic surged into him. Magnus hefted a goblet of wine and drained it.

Alpha, Beta and Mastema watched on in awe as Velderoth grew before their eyes. Soon, the boy had become a man, and as his mouth worked in vain to form words, Magnus snapped his fingers. A set of black battle armour trimmed with gold as well as a smaller version of his own sword appeared beside Velderoth. "Get dressed. We're heading to Pantheon." Magnus ordered.

Velderoth hurried into the armour, which fit him perfectly, and jumped as the tip of his now-matured wings entered his field of view. Magnus bellowed a hearty laugh, inspecting his hands. "Hah! It does feel good to be using this power for something other than self indulgence, after all these years. Maybe I really should try this more often."

Velderoth nodded profusely, words still failing him.

Mastema spoke, then. "Why do you want us to go to Pantheon? Isn't that just handing ourselves over to the enemy?"

"I want Velderoth and I to go to Pantheon while you four flesh out a workable plan against the Black Mage. With him here, I think Cartelion will be willing to listen while I offer a no-strings-attached truce until we can defeat the Black Mage. The very fabric of space-time is at stake, here, and I'd be a fool to put my own ambitions before the fate of the universe." Without waiting for a response, he stepped down from his throne. "Come, I have a portal leading directly to the outskirts of Pantheon."

"Yes, Milord! Thank you!"

Magnus chuckled as he left, Velderoth scuffling clumsily behind. It will take a while for him to get used to his new, larger body.

"That was really weird..." Beta said. Mastema nodded. "Magnus doesn't seem like the heartless Tyrant everyone makes him out to be..." She said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Okay, okay," Alpha said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He'd been eating the entire time. "Now that that's over and done with, there's still the issue of our last party member, then we need to think of a way to isolate the Black Mage. I suggest we defeat the rest of his first, so as to minimize the chance of them joining their master in the decisive battle. We've seen what just one can do...it could be disastrous if we faced the Black mage with them at his side."

Mastema was in total agreement. It would give the blond twins valuable battle experience, anyway, to solidify and adjust to their reformed techniques. Grimacing, he wondered if Damon would want to continue teaching them. He certainly would have a lot on his mind for a while, yet...reaching out to his thoughts, she again encountered the second entity arising from his fury. It was even more chaotic than before. Cradling his head in her lap, Mastema grew even more worried, and pushed deeper into Damon's subconscious.

_..._

_Within the fury_

_..._

"**My, oh my...it's been so long, I was starting to think I'd be condemned to eternal slumber."**

A disembodied voice drawled. "What...are you?" Damon asked. He was floating in a sea of blackness..or rather, his eyes were. At least that was what he felt. He was aware that the voice originated from his demon's fury. It felt extremely rich and potent; more powerful than he recalled it ever being. If he had to hazard a guess, he would say he was dreaming, but the dream was remarkably lucid. The fury almost seemed like a tangible being, and it was talking to him.

"**You're really so ignorant? Aren't you aware of your own lore, demon **_**slayer**_**?" **The dark voice emphasized the word 'slayer', although Damon had no clue what it was talking about. "What...?"

"**Oh, how noble...how thoughtful, how delightfully and vainly protective and he was..." **The voice laughed. Wherever he was, whatever he was dreaming, he was awash in his own Demon's Fury. Yet, as familiar as the fury felt, Damon shivered as a kind of fear he had not felt since the day he'd faced the Black Mage trickled down his spine. "What...level with me here! What's going on!" He cursed in his mind as his voice came out shaky and thin.

"**Haven't you ever wondered why you're known as the demon 'slayer' when you yourself are a demon?" **It taunted.

Damon's heart wrenched. It was true; he had no idea why he was the demon slayer. He'd never killed any demons, and all he knew about the title was an ancient text he'd perused in Tynerum. The markings under his left eye – and his father had them, too – were identical to the ones shown in the text, and it spoke of a great calamity that befell the demons soon after a child bearing that mark was born. The child was banished into a separate dimension to protect Tynerum, but the event was so long ago most had forgotten about it, and any further details had been lost.

Nonetheless, it seemed as if everyone in Tynerum instinctively hated him; he was treated coldly whenever he visited his home world, to the point he would rather avoid it, now. His father had been the same, he remembered. That's why they were the only Demons in Maple World.

The dark voice seemed to sense his distress, and its presence flared **"Yes...that's right, Damon. You're beginning to understand, now. Fuel me with your agony...your sorrow...your hatred!"**

"Understand what!? What do you know about me? What do you know about the mark of the Demon Slayer!?" Damon demanded. Hadn't he suffered enough? Must he go mad now, when he had just resolved to correct his ways? His vengeance was almost within reach, too.

"**What do I know about you?" **The voice cackled. **"What DON'T I know about you!? It's been long since I've been completely roused...long since anyone bearing my mark had gathered enough hatred to trigger the final awakening." **

He couldn't bare this taunting voice any longer. He hated it...he loathed it...he loathed his own helplessness. "Just what the hell are you? What the hell am I? Stop tormenting me!" He screamed.

The voice continued to laugh. **"How ironic that the two times I've awakened, it was not by the thirst for revenge against an enemy, but rather due to self-hatred... although your hatred for Arkarium and the Black Mage are...deliciously respectable, too. As you wish, Damon, I shall enlighten you as to the truth of your heritage."**

The voice paused, and Damon could vaguely feel Mastema calling to him from afar.

"**You see, demons were always but a small population, and given their nature, oft associated – correctly, might I add – with all manner of fell phenomena. However, eons ago, there arose one demon more powerful than the rest, more bloodthirsty, who possessed more hatred for his damned birth than the others. He bore a distinctive patterned marking below his left eye. Due to his unparalleled rage and power, even his kin feared him, and they conspired to cast him across a dimensional portal into Maple World.**

**Abandoned in a place where his hatred festered and spread, the aberrant demon led a life seeking vengeance. However, he swore to himself never to turn his sword against the denizens of this new dimension, as it was his kin whom he hated. Across the centuries, though, as he had no contact with any other demon, he grew to hate himself."**

_The legend of the banished child..._Damon thought to himself.

**"It's not too surprising, then, when he finally awoke me in his darkest moment of self-loathing. Drawing on his new demon's fury enhanced by my power, he tore a rift in the fabric of space and found his way back into Tynerum, systematically slaughtering all the demons involved in his banishment. By then he had impregnated a human wife, though he never managed to return to her."**

"**It was a massacre... but eventually, exhausted, and his hatred spent, the demon was overwhelmed by Tynerum's forces and executed where he knelt."**

"What's your point?" Damon asked, "you speak as if you were there."

"**Oh, I was there. And my point? I'm the manifestation of pure hatred, the embodiment of anguish...passed down in the demon's fury of HIS descendants...Tynerum's, and, so far as anyone's aware of, the only, Transcendent of Death.**


	8. Tension

Mastema reeled her mind backwards, fighting to extract herself from Damon's corrupted Demon's fury.

Noticing the commotion, the darkness swirled around her. **"Uh-uh-uh! No snooping around in other peoples' business, little girl. Don't you know that's awful rude behavior?Where are you manners?" ** It chided, taking hold of Mastema and enveloping her in its hatred. Ice shot down her spine as she struggled to rationalize the situation; to come up with some kind of plan. She reached out with her thoughts to try and discern the Transcendent of Death's weakness.

The entire area was empty aside from Damon, whose thoughts were lost in a jumble of indiscernible chaos.

"**Oh, a mind-reader, are we? That won't do...I can't have you knowing everything our mutual friend has in mind..."** With that, Mastema found herself forcibly expelled from Damon's psyche, returning to her physical senses sporting a huge headache. Beta was looming over her, her face lined with worry. Their mouths were moving frantically, but a ringing in her ears blocked out their words. With a start, she realized she was lying on the ground.

Forcing herself up, and taking Beta's generous hand when she almost collapsed of dizziness, she cast her gaze about for Damon. Anticipating her thoughts, Beta pointed upwards. Damon was suspended in mid-air, arms slightly bent at his sides. His demon's fury spilled from his eyes and mouth, forming a deep purple cloud that swirled around him. Alpha was in an advanced guard stance between them and the demon slayer, his weapon drawn and glowing with temporal power.

Damon's raw-throated screaming gradually filtered into Mastema's ears as the ringing faded. Beta had taken up a similar defensive position beside her. _I have to calm him down! _Mastema thought, fumbling with her sword. She fell to the ground again, and noticed that dizziness was only half the problem – the Tyrant Castle was quaking, although its structure seemed to hold. Leaving her sword where it fell, and making no further effort to rise, she closed her eyes and reached towards Damon's thoughts.

Nothing.

Confused, she expanded her search, but all she could hear was emptiness. A chilling realization dawned upon her as she deduced that the Transcendent of Death must have done something to her mind-reading ability. For the first time in her life, Mastema had no clue as to the best possible course of action; she'd always relied heavily on reading the minds of the people she dealt with.

Flexing her wings, Mastema carefully lifted off, drifting towards Damon.

"Mastema!" Alpha cried, finally seeing her conscious, "You mind telling us just what the hell is going on!?"

Mastema didn't have time to think – no, she didn't let herself think about it. Truth. Just tell the truth.

"Damon's becoming the Transcendent of Death...or at least he's awakened the Transcendent of Death. I'm not sure." She tried to respond as calmly as possible, but her speech was rushed and her voice quivered.

Alpha blanched, then cursed and shouted, "Time holding! Rewind!" Seeing Mastema moving closer and closer toward Damon, he waved his long sword at her, "What the hell are you doing!?"

Without taking her eyes off the demon slayer, she dodged the question. "Take Beta and vacate the castle. Now!" She didn't know whether to feel relieved or betrayed when Alpha wordlessly obeyed, but she settled on relieved as she heard Beta's struggling protests echo back from the hallways. She hadn't known them for long, anyway; it was enough that one of them cared enough to worry about her.

In her heart, however, Mastema cared about only one person beyond even herself, and her gut wrenched as she watched him scream, almost completely surrounded by the winds of his fury. The deep purple colour was beginning to take on a bluish tinge.

_What the hell am I doing? Hah...what indeed. _Trying again to contact Damon telepathically, her tendrils of thought met once more with nothingness. Was she supposed to fight Damon? Why did she send the others away? She didn't ordinarily stand a chance against the demon slayer; how would she expect to win when he's awakened the powers of the Transcendent of Death? Reaching for her sword, she remembered she had dropped earlier.

For some inexplicable reason, she felt no urge to retrieve it. She could tell he was in pain, and although she knew that her master was a great warrior and no stranger to it, she wished she could somehow share the burden of that pain with him. For good or for bad, he'd always left her out of the dangerous situations.

She was just over a meter away from Damon, now. The demon slayer was completely encased in a swirling shell of blue fury.

Resigning for now to simply waiting, Mastema hovered at that distance, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She had heard the conversation. She was calling to Damon to snap out of it, and she was sure he heard her. But why didn't he respond?

Ignoring the potential danger, she lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She already knew the answer. She'd set herself a crucial goal the day Damon found her dying amidst the tall grass of Leafre. She vowed to protect him with all she was, to be his sword and shield and everything else in repayment for his giving her a place to belong. Somewhere along the line it became more than that. Even when her master was locked up in that testing capsule, she still knew he would return someday.

Return to her.

But how selfish and wrong she'd been. He'd returned, but had eyes for only vengeance. But she didn't blame him, because she had been beside him when it all began, and said nothing. Both of them were fools in their respective desires, but she had allowed her love for Damon to blind her, overlooking just how far into darkness he'd fallen.

She failed once, against the Black Mage, and now she failed again. She'd let Damon be consumed by his own hatred and anger. Without noticing it, she had summoned up her own small aura of demon's fury.

"**Now, now, little girl...you can stop making me want to puke."**

Mastema's eyes snapped open, looking around desperately for the source of that disembodied voice. It only took a moment for her to register that it was coming from inside her head. **"Demons draw power from their own negative emotions, anyway. It's why it's called 'demons fury'. Comes with the heritage, and all." **

"What...how...?"

The voice cackled. **"Of course, there can only be one Transcendent of Death at a time, but with the way your thoughts were heading, I could feel my power being siphoned off to you. I'd rather kill myself than be awakened three times by self-loathing, of all things." **The voice paused, then corrected itself, **"Actually, I take that back. I like life."**

Now Mastema was thoroughly bewildered. "What? How can you talk to me?"

"**Not too sure...I'm guessing with all the time you've spent in the recesses of Damon's mind, osmosis of demon's fury, maybe...? Gah...details, details."**

Before Mastema could ask her next question, the voice answered it. **"Look, if you'd continued beating yourself up over your 'failure' to protect our mutual friend here, my powers would have flowed into you and killed you. Only those bearing my mark can truly awaken as the Transcendent of Death, and right now, I'd rather Damon not lose any more people he cares about. You know...my desire to continue living, and whatnot."**

Dumbfounded by such an answer, Mastema stupidly retorted, "You're afraid? B-but, you're the Transcendent of Death! How can you-"

"**Correction, my dear. Damon is the Transcendent of Death. I'm merely the power filling the vessel that commands it."**

Mastema stopped to ponder this for a moment. From the dark voice's conversation with Damon in his subconscious, she'd gathered that it was an extremely ancient power. Which means..."With your power, can we defeat the Black Mage?"

"**Without a doubt." **The voice answered smugly **"I was old before that charlatan was even born."**

"More people than I can count have underestimated the Black Mage and paid for it with their lives."

"**I'm aware,** **but don't forget that our mutual friend here has fought the Black Mage with nothing less than MY fury before. I may not have been sentient, then, but the memories of that battle as well as all his others are cemented into this demon's fury."**

Still not convinced, Mastema said, "You don't know how powerful the Black Mage has grown...nobody does; that's why we're trying to find allies to fight him together!"

Ignoring her, the Tyrant Castle's audience hall echoed with the dark voice's laughter. **"Look, our friend is about to truly awaken. Oh, what an absolutely stupendous specimen! My power grows to eclipse that of the First's!"**

And Mastema could feel it. The air was buzzing with energy, almost as if a weight was pulling on every facet of her being. Yet, even as she concentrated on it, the energy condensed, flowing in from all sides toward the nexus that was Damon's fury-encased sphere. Mastema instinctively brought a hand up to shield her head as a crack rippled down the middle of the sphere, and a wave of pure energy knocked the breath out of her.

Her muscles involuntarily seized up, and she began to fall, but before she could hit the ground she felt strong arms holding her up. Forcing her eyes open, Mastema was overcome with déjà vu. Even with all the knowledge she had gained in the past century, she would still have sworn that she was looking up at an angel; although instead of the sun shining upon his pale skin, it was the demon slayer's mark that lit up his features today. She smiled, relishing the moment. _And I'd thought mistaking a demon for an angel was ironic...he's the Transcendent of death now._

Her joy was short-lived, however, when Damon opened his mouth. "Mastema...I heard everything you said to my fury. I've decided that you are important to me. I care about you, Mastema, so I need you not to follow while I end this now. Enough lives have been spent trying to bring down the Black Mage. Tell the others to kick back and relax, too. I'll return shortly and then we can all celebrate."

"What?" Her eyes widened. "No, wait-" But Damon had already lowered her gently into a chair, and took off through the castle's roof with such blinding speed that Mastema knew following was futile.

Burying her head in her hands, Mastema let loose and wept. He had left her behind again. Why doesn't he understand?

...

It took some time before she calmed herself enough to think straight. She shouldn't be worrying about being left behind; Damon was going to face the being that held the fate of the universe in its hands...alone.

Exiting the castle, Mastema reached out with her mind to locate Alpha and Beta. When she felt nothing, she sighed. He should have asked the voice about her powers when she had the chance. After only a few steps, however, her attention was drawn by a particularly familiar stir of motion amongst some trees. As she focussed, she could see sunlight glinting off what must be Beta's massive sword. Spreading her wings, she thought twice about it, then relaxed them and decided to walk. She would need some time to gather her thoughts.

"Lets start heading to Pantheon and regroup with Magnus. He'll need to know this, too." Mastema said as she waved off a slew of questions. Alpha kicked at the dirt "Can't you at least tell us why Damon's the" he cleared his throat dramatically, "freaking Transcendent of Death?"

Already walking towards the Pantheon portal, Mastema grimaced. "He gathered enough hatred to awaken it." She pretended not to hear Alpha as he grumbled "...shouldn't be helping that ticking time-bomb..."

She endlessly weighed the odds in her head; Damon against the Black Mage. She had every confidence in her Master's abilities, but not in his judgment. She knew he'd faced the Black Mage alone and it almost cost him his life. She knew he'd taken on the Maple Heroes, the five warriors who originally imprisoned the Black Mage, and though he had the advantage of surprise, was still defeated.

However, she'd also seen him effortless overpower Damien, who was slowly but surely whittling down Magnus, the most powerful being in this dimension. Additionally, Damien had defeated both Maple World's Transcendent of Life as well as Ereve's holy dragon, Shinsoo, and Damon had dispatched his little brother without even triggering his Metamorphosis.

Given that, and coupled with the fact Damon was prepared to face the Black Mage by himself before his coup was foiled by phantom, Mastema knew she had nothing to worry about... especially now that he'd awakened the powers of the Transcendent of Death. However, she kept telling herself she was missing something.

The Black Mage's commanders...? If they were to all fall back and regroup with the corrupted Transcendent of Light, their combined might may prove dangerous. That was why they were going to dispatch the commanders before facing the Black mage. Mastema knew better than anyone how blinded by overconfidence Damon could become at times, but, remembering how quickly he'd dealt with Damien, she felt unconvinced that the other commanders could pose a threat to the demon slayer.

_I've got to be missing something..._She thought, _unless...unless Damon's really simply gotten so powerful that no-matter how I look at it, he's going to be able to defeat the Black Mage by himself. Yes, that's right. I just need to have more faith in him._

She had been looking without truly seeing for a while, now, lost in her thoughts, so she started when Beta hugged her from behind. "Mastema, I know it's been tough, but remember your friends are always with you!" Despite herself, Mastema relaxed and smiled. She could get used to this. "Thank you, Beta, thank you, Alpha." The blond male didn't reply. They'd reached the portal to Pantheon.

"Lets just hope we don't have the entire Pantheon army camping outside this portal, waiting to fry us as soon as we step through..." Alpha said harshly. Mastema didn't blame him. Having neither her emotional connection with Damon nor Beta's childish naivety, it was no wonder he was suspicious of the situation.

Nodding, Mastema gently broke free from the hug and stepped through the portal.

...

"Arkariam."

"Yes, master?" The magician hissed.

"Summon Hilla and Damien at once. Rouse the guardians of the temple. Damon is coming."

"Shall we intercept him, master?

"...No. Something unexpected has happened."

"Un...expected?"

"Yes. Another Transcendent has awoken, and Damon wouldn't return so quickly unless he was the vessel. Gather in my throne room. Make haste."

As he severed the connection from Arkarium, he opened another one. "Von Leon, rally your forces. Damien's fleet is depleted, and Grandis is coming."

"As you wish..." The lion king growled.

...

Yes, I'm aware there's no Transcendent of Death, but it seemed possible and a good idea, so...

By the way, the blueness of Damon's aura when he's undergoing his transcendence is a reference to the demon slayer's hyper skill "blue blood" which is RIDICULOUSLY OP. It's like shadow partner for warriors xD

And "Rewind" is one of Zero's transcendent skills, that revives you when you die. It never expires, so, since Alpha cast it in this chapter, it might come in useful in the future :P.

And c'mon, guys :P seeing lots of traffic in this fic but only Chibi Studios has been reviewing :(. Drop a review with your thoughts and character requests and whatever else happens in reviews. I'll do some side chapters soon, flesh out the interpersonal relationships a bit more.

Btw...yeah there's been a few typos here and there and when I catch them, I fix them. soz oi xD


	9. To Claim Glory

Alpha cursed. Pantheon's banners floated in the distance, and Mastema could just make out the tiny triangular shapes of camps being erected. She couldn't see Magnus, although that was no cause for alarm yet; she doubted the Nova dragon could have met with any resistance that prevented him from at least returning to Helisium. Although, and Mastema grimaced at the thought, Magnus had certainly not been in a good condition when he left to negotiate his terms of alliance.

"Well, what how? Do we just waltz into Pantheon's collective military establishment right after coming out of the portal where the invading army was last seen?" Alpha said. His dry sarcasm was beginning to wear on Mastema.

"As a matter of fact, unless you have a better idea, yes." Her tone was sharper than she intended; they were all on edge, but she had certainly been through the most. Couldn't the stupid blond boy see that? He scoffed, but remained silent as they strode slowly towards Pantheon's camp.

Before long, a horn announced their arrival, and none other than Magnus himself flew out to greet them. Noticing Damon's absence and the scowls on Mastema and Alpha's faces, he landed before them wordlessly, and began to make his way slowly back to the camp. He had donned a new set of armor identical to his destroyed one, courtesy of his own magic.

Beta quickened her pace until she was beside the Nova dragon. Reaching up to tap the unarmored underbelly of his tail, she pouted and, raising her voice, said, "Magnus, Damon went to fight the Black Mage by himself, and Alpha and Mastema both seem angry at something…"

Magnus looked back at her, noticing the dejected looks of the other two, before picking her up with an armored hand and plopping her on his left epaulet. Beta giggled, crouching on her hands and knees to avoid slipping off as Magnus's mighty shoulders rolled and bobbed in sync with his alpha strut. The Tyrant of Helisium had no time for jokes, however; he'd placed her beside his ear for one purpose.

"Beta, tell me what happened." He whispered gently. The blond girl seemed enraptured by one of the glowing cyan gemstones on his epaulet, however, and she took a moment before the command registered. "Oh…when you left, it got kinda awkward and boring for a while, but then Damon floated up into the middle of the room and started screaming…and Mastema was passed out for some reason. Then the whole castle started shaking and she woke up, but all she did was tell Alpha" she turned and shot her twin a venomous look, which he didn't see, "to take me and leave the castle…then after a while we saw the roof burst open and something fly out really fast. And I mean really really fast! We didn't know it was Damon until Mastema came out and told us Damon left to fight the Black Mage by himself, though. I was kinda worried, actually, until Mastema said he's become like us, now."

"Like us?" Magnus asked. As amusing as the little blond girl was, he could even begin to imagine what they had in common, besides a taste in large blades. "No, me and Alpha. He's woken up the Transcendent of Death…or something, or he is the Transcendent of Death. Mastema said she's explain when we were all together."

To his credit, Magnus didn't falter in his step nor make any kind of motion that betrayed surprise; he merely nodded. "I see."

Reaching his tent, which was over triple the size of the others', he ushered Mastema and Alpha in, looking for Beta before coming face to face with her cheery smile when he turned his head left. She waved. "You can get off, now." He ordered.

"Huh? But it's fun being so high!"

Realizing he didn't even feel her weight and there were much more pressing issues to discuss, he resigned himself to having the blond on his shoulder, before looking expectantly at Mastema and Alpha. The latter met his gaze, then spread his hands and made a face, as if to ask 'what?' When Mastema made no movement to speak, Magnus cleared his throat, startling her out of her thoughts. He hadn't been a part of any campaign at this scale since the days of the old Kaiser, and he could feel his blood beginning to boil. It was time to get serious.

"As it seems like none of you are willing to talk business, I shall begin. I arrived here unchallenged, and my wounds in addition to Velderoth's presence and testimonies were enough to convince Cartelion of my honesty. This army has only just begun to mobilize, so it will take a few days before it's ready to make the inter-dimensional jump into Maple World." He paused, allowing the others to process his information.

"While Pantheon prepares to assault the Temple of time, my specters will march instead to El-Nath; they are already on the move. The Black Mage has agents seeded everywhere, and will likely call on Von Leon to begin mobilizing his army in preparation to retaliate. My specters and the nova won't be able to co-operate, anyway, given our histories, and El-Nath is the only place I can think of to deploy to." When there were no comments or objections, he continued.

"As I am adamant on accompanying you to challenge the Black Mage personally, I have named Velderoth to champion my forces against Von Leon. However, according to Beta, I am to understand that Damon has somehow gotten involved with the Transcendent of Death, and flew off to fight the old boss on his own." Mastema finally looked him in the eye and sighed. "Look…I've always been very stubborn on who I trust or don't trust, and people often say I trust too easily, but it's because I have the ability to enter into someone else's mind and read their thoughts…" she began.

...

By the time she finished, Beta was curled up, snoozing innocently on Magnus's left shoulder, Alpha had buried his head in his hands, and Magnus sat in stone-cold passivity, face set in a deep frown. Alpha spoke first. Lowering his hands, his eyes were bloodshot. And his twin obviously hadn't pulled many all-nighters. "Look…we need to see this through until the Black Mage is gone, yes, but if Damon manages to kill him, doesn't that just make him an even more dangerous enemy? He's the goddamned Transcendent of Death, for heaven's sake. It'll be like replacing one evil with an even greater evil."

"He wants the same as we do, Alpha," Mastema countered weakly, "once the Black Mage is gone, he'll leave this place alone to its own system of government…"

"Even if he does, Mastema, who's gonna feel safe with the Transcendent of Death running around?"

"Nobody needs to know!"

"What? So the Black Mage drops dead, or disappears, and you think nobody will want to know how it happened or who caused it!?" Alpha was shouting now, "I thought you were smarter than this."

"We could make something up…" Mastema began, but even she realized that nobody had enough influence to bind all the adventurers in Maple World from seeking out the truth. "What do you propose we do, then?" She asked angrily.

"I don't know! I'm not sure you realize exactly how powerful Damon is BEFORE, you know, awakening the Transcendent of Death. I remember when I was simply Nine, an ignorant child who could barely take on a few low-class Black Mage pawns. The Transcendent of Time's powers – no, HALF of her powers – allowed me to grow into this." He gestured at himself.

"What are you trying to say?" Mastema was lost.

"Look…you don't know, but when you suggested Damon train me…we started right after you and Beta left. He could match my full strength supplimented with the Transcendent's abilities without showing any signs of exertion, Mastema. I don't know what effect the Transcendent of Death will have on him, but any kind of enhancement to his already ludicrously powerful state of being will create a monster!"

"You're blind! You're just letting your fear cloud-"

Drawing his blade, Alpha jumped to his feet, "I just want to protect the world Rhinne was ready to sacrifice her life for! You're the one who's blind! You love him, it's so damn obvious to everyone, and it's veiling your eyes to the harm someone like him could potentially do with the power he has! You know he's no paragon of virtue!"

Unsheathing her blade, Mastema unfurled her wings, eyes glowing purple with fury. Alpha's mouth hardened into a line. "You know you can't beat me. Stop wasting your time wrestling with this easily remedied situation! We proceed as planned, without Damon, and find someone to replace him. And instead of the Black Mage, he becomes out target. It's that goddamned simple!" He spat.

"Stop talking like your assumptions have all already come true!" She raised her blade, but before she could attack, a shadow fell over them both as Magnus rose. Picking the still-sleeping Beta carefully off his shoulder, he set her down on his cushioned chair, and spoke. "Alpha, you're right; we do need to deal with Damon, but you need to be tactful with your words. Everyone is stressed right now, and you especially look like you need some rest. There's enough room for two on my chair…one of the benefits of being so big. And Mastema's words also have sense in them; you don't know for sure that Damon's turned evil. We will prepare for the possibility, of course, but with logic and clarity." He chuckled. "Gathered in this room are some of the most powerful beings around; we all have a common goal, so keep that in mind, and relax until the army is ready."

Alpha shook his head, sheathed his sword, and murmured, "Sorry, man, you're right. Haven't slept in over a day…" with that he crawled up onto the chair next to his sister, and turned his back to Magnus and Mastema.

The two simply looked at each-other for a while. There was no challenge, no spite, in their eyes, and it was a comfortable kind of silence, until Magnus walked out of his tent. "Come, I know just the thing for you."

...

Mastema followed the Nova dragon, her heart heavy with guilt. Alpha was right; she was angry because she didn't want him to be right, but she knew that he was. Eventually, the pair reached the edge of a forest.

Snapping a tree a meter and a half from its roots, Magnus tossed the remainder of it in the air, then lowered himself onto the trunk. Motioning with his hands, he summoned a keg of wine. Two silver goblets materialized beside it. The liquid in the keg splashed as the severed tree thudded back onto the ground not too far away.

Scoffing in spite of herself, Mastema rolled her eyes. "Aren't you one for theatrics? And Wine? Seriously?."

"Of course. How do you think I maintained this cheery mood throughout the centuries? I diluted my worries with liquor, of course!"

Sighing, Mastema filled her goblet, then sat and crossed her legs. "You always were the smooth talker, weren't you?" She said before draining the goblet in one go.

Laughing, Magnus did the same. "To be fair, I'm not some youngling who'd just been charged with the fate of the Maple World, nor am I hopelessly in love with the Transcendent of Death."

Mastema scoffed, looking down. "Do you still remember what it was like? A hundred years ago, the three of us?"

"Oh, that was fun, back in the old days. We used to be assigned the same missions, didn't we? Damon you and I."

"Yeah…" Mastema drained another goblet. She never imagined this: breaking bread with Magnus, of all people, although a century had passed, their connection felt as real as yesterday. "You remember that time when we ran into that demonic statue when delivering the Black Mage's terms to Von Leon?"

Magnus smiled, "That was the last mission we had, wasn't it?" Sighing, he filled his second goblet. "The idiot should have accepted…or maybe if he didn't fight so stubbornly the old boss wouldn't have wanted to recruit him as a commander."

"Mmhm," Mastema's vision was beginning to wobble, but she filled her third goblet and took a sip. "Well, that stupid statue's got a name now, 'Zakum', they're calling it…to think how times have changed. The three of us struggled to take it down, and now everyday adventurers are summoning it just to see how fast they can kill it."

Magnus raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh? What's the best?"

Mastema shrugged. Her pale, purplish skin was beginning to blush. "A few seconds, apparently…yeah, unbelievable."

"I'd say! Hah, I remember when we fought it, Damon and I were slashing crazily at its arms while you hid under this rocky platform...you were really the classic little damsel, weren't you, eh, girl?"

Mastema blushed. She remembered that, too. She took another gulp of Magnus's wine, squeezing her eyes as the alcohol burned down her throat. Visualizing the events of that day, she remembered when Magnus helped her up after the fight. Looking at the Nova dragon now, she let out a small gasp. "Damn…you got big." They both laughed at that. "How'd you get so big, anyway? Weren't you already hundreds of years old?"

"We Nova grow as our power grows, and serving under the Black Mage really opened my eyes to the world..."

"Come to think of it," Magnus continued "It was always like that. You and Damon, I mean."

"Hmm?"

"You were always there in the shadows, watching him, worrying about him."

"I…suppose." Mastema had finished her third goblet and rose to fill her fourth, but gravity seemed to pull her sideways, and she toppled, laughing stupidly. Magnus took her goblet and helped her refill it. Sighing, Mastema took another sip, and said, "I never realized what he really meant to me until that day."

Magnus didn't need to ask what day she meant. "Nobody truly realizes how much they love someone until they lose them." He consoled.

Mastema sucked in a breath, "I…"

"You love him." It was not a question.

"Yes…I think I do. He knows, though."

Magnus shook his head. "But did you ever tell him that?"

"That I love him? Kind of...yeah...he knows. I've seen it in his mind."

Sighing, the Nova dragon said, "What if you could never see him again? Is there any final message you'd want him to hear?"

Mastema downed another few mouthfuls of her wine. "Is this when you kill me right after I say my last words?" She joked.

Magnus smiled, but it was a sad smile. "Of course not. It's just…for insurance. In case something goes wrong."

The demon girl nodded. Her face was completely flushed now, and her eyelids were drooping. "You know…when we were rebuilding his old home, he let me have my pick of the assortment of armors in his basement. I could still read his thoughts then, and I know I should have said it, but I didn't, for some reason."

"Oh?"

"This is his mother's old armor, and he was in his father's armor, too. He was thinking we could start a family…raise kids. I wanted to tell him how much I'd have liked that." Mastema began to sob. "But now, I've failed him again and again…he's lost his entire family to the Black Mage. I've lost my loved ones, too. Ever since I was exiled from Tynerum, he was the only person I had, but now I've lost him to another kind of darkness…one that scares me even though it's part of him! I failed him, Magnus!"

"No, Mastema, Damon never felt that way. He mightn't have felt the same for you as you do for him, but always wanted to protect you, too. We learn best through loss, anyway. Next time, with someone else, you won't make the same mistakes you made with him. You'll be more assertive, right?"

"There won't be anyone else…I'm utterly alone in this world…in Maple World, too. Nobody will accept me because of my powers…" She cried.

"But your powers are gone, aren't they? Besides, you've spent over a century binding yourself to Damon. In that time I've conquered an entire world! Life always welcomes you back, Mastema, no matter how deep into despair you may fall."

Sniffing, she finished her fourth goblet, "How did you do it, anyway? I heard of a great hero, Kaiser, making his last stand as you advanced upon Helisium."

Magnus bellowed in laughter. "Oh, how hearsay soils my good name. I'd like to believe we were both heroes, in our own right. Helisium was ruled by a corrupt council; besides, I needed to vent my frustration after I thought Damon had gotten himself killed without me. Thought I'd direct my anger at something useful…"

Mastema nodded, her eyes closing.

"Kaiser's last stand was a brilliant effort. He took on hordes of my specters with no backup, and it must have been after at least a hundred specters died that I entered into battle, myself. Oh, it was short but bloody. He managed to remove most of this horn, you see…it never grew back. But in the end, I wore him out, though to be fair, without my specters, I probably would have lost. He tried to take us all with him in a kamikaze attack, but I lived, and inherited his sword in his honor. That's what I would have liked, if he'd been the victor, at least…I only realized after his death how much I had respected that man."

Mastema nodded again. "I understand." She whispered.

"Heh, I'd actually paid his grave quite a few visits, lavishing him with praise whenever I recalled our final battle. His blade-work was splendid! How I wished to have had more time to spar with him. Alas, he was dead and my words wasted on thin air."

Tears began leaking from Mastema's eyes as she lowered herself onto the grass. "Damon…oh Damon…I love you…" she whispered.

...

Neither of them moved for a while, "Mastema?" Magnus nudged Mastema when she didn't respond to his call. She was sound asleep.

Rising, he stretched, cracking his neck and back with a series of pops. "Well, I hope that satisfies you."

A crunching of armored boots on the grass closed in from behind. "When you told me to look for a signal, I hardly expected a TREE being thrown thirty meters into the air."

"Well, you got the signal, didn't you? And are you satisfied? She said she loves you…now you can die in peace, knowing you will always be remembered in her broken heart."

"Why, Magnus, you sound almost bitter!" Damon chided.

Ignoring the remark, Magnus growled. "I never understood you. You say you have no feelings for her, yet you go to such lengths to protect her…"

His face growing serious again, Damon rose and put a hand on his old comrade's armored shoulder. "Magnus, I really am grateful. I've never been one for words, but you were remarkable. Thank you…"

The Nova dragon shrugged. "You don't become the conqueror of an entire world without knowing what to speak and when. I even managed to sweet-talk the old boss into trusting me, back in the day. You thinking of taking her up on that offer? To start a family?"

Damon smiled. "When we're back. Love can always be learned."

Magnus grimaced. "You've always been a damn cold killing machine, Damon. No doubt you were the one who awakened the Transcendent of Death.

"No matter, you were glorious in your conquest of the demons in Mastema's heart. I'd never have been able to do that."

Magnus just laughed. "Hah, those demons will return in strength if we aren't back before she wakes."

Damon sobered. "That's why you're here, isn't it?"

"Damn straight…and you need to pick your words carefully, Damon. Glory? Glory is watching those hideous eyes of his finally dim as we rip his cape to shreds and tear his entire temple down brick by brick!"

The demon slayer smiled again, eyes sparkling. "It's been far too long, Magnus." he said, hovering and clapping his partner in his arm. "Yes. Let us claim that triumph together, for such a glory holds no meaning absent your eyes as witness."

Magnus beamed, unfurling his wings in preparation for take-off. "Same for you, old pal. There's no one else I'd rather end this with."

With that, the duo made for Maple World, leaving Mastema smiling gently in the grass as she conjured up all kinds of great fantasies under the influence of Magnus's wine.

...

Hmm...wrapping this fic up, maybe. But nothing too bad's actually happened. Mehh. Yeah I'm writing Magnus into a full-on good guy here. I figured that someone who can become the ruler of Helisium would need to have SOME reasoning ability. Then I remembered this quote from someone I forgot that said the greatest man can talk to both the highest god and the lowest dog on equal footing, so yeah. Magnus=great man(dragon?)

Yeah I kinda left Zero out a bit, here. Maybe I won't end this fic just yet...there is still much potential for developments...


	10. Price of Arrogance

Demon and Dragon soared side by side high above the clouds, making their way straight toward the Temple of Time. Each kept to their own thoughts, simply enjoying each other's company until Magnus spoke. "Did you at least leave her a message?"

"Didn't see a point in it."

"We could fail," Magnus admitted. "We really should be taking out the commanders first."

"Getting cold feet? Magnus?" Damon said, amused, "This dimension isn't safe for either of us. The longer we stay here, the more potential there is for adventurers to find us. We will have no choice to deal with them, should that happen, so I'd rather end everything at once, as quickly as possible."

"I'm not sure what to think of your confidence…"

"I can feel the Transcendent's power in my fury, and judging by the size of that meteor shower back in Helisium, you've become very powerful, too. After this is done, you'll instantly be hailed as a hero and savior. "

"Magnus, Savior of Maple. I suppose it does sound better than 'Tyrant'." He chuckled.

"Actually…why did you insist coming with me, anyway? The Magnus I knew would have needed far better odds before he'd cast in his lot."

"The Magnus you knew, huh?" He was silent for a time, gathering his thoughts, before continuing. "How long have you lived, Damon?"

"Counting the time-"

"Not counting the time you were imprisoned."

"Well…around two hundred. Why?"

"I'm over four times your age, Damon, and the last good memory I have is of a hundred years ago, on the bridge to Helisium, fighting Kaiser."

Damon nodded, even though both were facing forward. They flew side by side, their shoulders in line. He could understand, he supposed, that one hundred years spent 'ruling' over a world with nothing but specters and servants would be an exercise in boredom. Did Magnus want to die, then? As soon as the question appeared in his head, he asked it, and the Nova dragon tossed his head back and bellowed in laughter.

"Really, Damon? You think I'd go to such lengths simply to end my existence? No, life's still far too sweet for me to do that. Although, I admit, its sweetness is diminishing. I thought about fleeing when I fought your brother, but a part of me just couldn't be bothered. Although, the rest of me just said that if I couldn't hold my own castle, maybe I deserved to die." Magnus shrugged. "I guess I'm here because I'm bored."

Damon grimaced at the mention of Damien. The memories of their last encounter flooded back. He had tried to kill his brother – no, they had tried to kill each other. With the same line of reasoning he'd applied to Aran and Luminous, he had wanted to liberate his brother from a life of hatred. But his most recent awakening had reminded him of something intrinsic to his race that he'd forgotten about; they thrived on hatred. Hatred was their power.

Then why was Mastema so different? Thinking to what Magnus had just told his subordinate, he asked.

"Magnus, what did you mean when you told Mastema that life always welcomes you back?"

The Nova made a sound akin to surprise. "Exactly that. You can screw up a million times, but, if you wait long enough, everything becomes nice and dandy again."

Damon rubbed his chin. "Why'd you say it? I mean, was it out of experience?"

"I'm not sure. It just seemed like an appropriate thing to say at the time."

"What…?"

"Come, now. Those things she was talking about; you would remember them as if they'd only happened a few years ago, because of the century you spent sealed up. She would remember everything even remotely connected to you, of course, because she's still very young for a demon who's imprinted on and nigh worships you."

Magnus paused, and suddenly Damon understood what his old partner was trying to say.

"Magnus…you forgot?"

"I didn't forget. It's just…I wouldn't be able to remember it on my own. Those memories are of such a transient stage of my life that they've simply been relegated somewhere deep, deep within; I mean, how long did we know each other for, back in the day? Five, ten years?"

"Something like that…"

"See, even you can't recall for certain. Tell me, Damon. Before Mastema nigh attached herself to you after your revival, did you ever spare her a thought?"

"…"

"I didn't think so, and don't just chalk it up to your demon heritage. Lets be generous and call it a decade that the three of us spent as the Black Mage's lapdogs. If those ten years are already hazy in your mind, imagine what it'd be like for me, who's had at least four times more experience to match it up against."

Damon's mouth was set in a hard line. "In other words, relatively speaking, ten years to me would only be like two and a half to you?" For the first time, Damon wondered if he'd ever become tired of life. He was surprised when an answer did not immediately present itself. Right now, he wanted to live for vengeance, more than anything else. After the Black Mage was dead…he'd spend some time with Mastema, but what then?

"Correct." The word came out harsher than Damon expected, and he glanced at his comrade's face. It was twisted in…sorrow?

"Is there something I should know that's troubling you?" Damon asked quietly. He'd never seen Magnus in a state of sadness before, and for some reason, he'd never imagined it.

"Hah! I suppose if I do die today, and you don't, you can learn from my mistakes. I took a human woman, when I was but a few decades young. I was much smaller, much rasher. She loved me, too, and I had cast a spell that would preserve her body in a constant state of youth. This is one of the oldest memories I have, but…I can no longer recall her face."

"Hold on. You know temporal magic?"

Magnus simply smiled sadly and answered, "It's one of the first things I set out to learn. Ironically, I had wanted to live forever."

"Had…?"

"Yes, because about a hundred years into our relationship, being with her had become an unbearable nightmare. She no longer knew my name, no longer recognized my face, and no longer possessed any semblance of intelligence. She may as well have been a well-crafted human puppet. Despite her body being preserved in a perpetuate state of 'now', age had eroded her mind, and I did not know how to heal that. I don't even remember any of our conversations, but I do remember the despair I felt as I ended her life, if her state of existence could even be called 'life' by then. There was no point in letting it continue."

Damon shivered. "But our brains are meant to live for at least a millennia; there's nothing to worry about. Isn't it the same with you Nova?"

Magnus simply grunted. "You might understand, in time." Then he perked up. "If you live past today, that is." He flashed a smile. It looked disturbingly genuine, given what he had just been talking about. Damon frowned. He never wanted to become like that. As cold-hearted as he was, there were things in life he was passionate about. For the time being, that was revenge. To reach a point in life where everything was perceived as 'just another occurrence' distressed him.

The Demon Slayer made no effort to return the friendly gesture; instead, he simply said. "After hearing that, I hope I never have to understand."

Magnus grew serious again. "You know, I'm almost jealous of you. Having such a pretty thing like Mastema always worrying about you…you take her too much for granted." Damon turned his head to face the Nova, but Magnus ignored him and continued, "Can't say I can tell what she sees in you."

_What is he talking about?_

Before he could continue down that line of thought, a familiar whirring noise prompted him to look over his shoulder. As he did, he realized his – their – mistake. They had become too absorbed in their conversation to keep track of their surroundings, and now the Lumiere was in hot pursuit.

...

"Yours highness, how are you feeling?" Phantom asked as he led Cygnus to the helm of his ship. She had insisted on leaving Shinsoo behind to rest and recover while the rest advanced on the Temple of Time. All five of her chief knights were aboard, and Luminous was also present, having recovered from the Demon Slayer's attack.

"I'm fine, Phantom, but…I'm so sorry; I can't bring Mercedes back to life. I don't have full control of my powers yet. You must be so…" Cygnus trailed off, her eyes downcast. She had left Shinsoo behind, because she cared about the holy dragon too much to allow it to risk itself for her again. She had noticed the looks Phantom and Mercedes often shared, and knew what they meant to each other. However…Phantom merely shook his head.

"Do not worry yourself over events beyond your control, highness, you shall find me more ready for battle than ever before." Phantom's voice was soft yet potent; reassuring. However, one who has not mastered the use of the mask can hardly become a legendary thief; he would kill the damned traitor. It was just his accursed luck. The only two women he'd ever loved had been killed through treachery. He, of all people, should have been able to foresee it, but alas, both times, he was too slow to act.

Aria trusted the Black Mage and paid for it with her life, Mercedes trusted the Demon Slayer, and was also betrayed. Fighting back a grimace, Phantom cursed himself for letting them trust so blindly. In hindsight, it was so obvious that people as intimate with darkness as those two would resort to trickery to achieve their ends, but he had still allowed himself the simple mistake of _believing_. He would never put so much faith in others' goodwill again. Aria had left one final legacy and that legacy now stood beside him. It was his last charge; he would protect Cygnus with his life. That's why…

He let go of the Empress's hand. "Have you looked out the window yet?" He spoke softly, but his eyes had not left the window since they had reached the helm, looking out with an intensity that betrayed his anger.

A sharp intake of breath indicated that she had done so only now. "Is that…?"

"Yes. It's him. The big one with the tail is Magnus. You've heard of him, right?" Phantom finally broke his gaze from the demon slayer's form, and looked at the newly awakened Transcendent of Life. Not for the first time, he felt pity for the girl. Aria had no children, and had perished so young; the only person who could rise to take her place was her young niece. Even knowing that she now possessed the unfathomable power of creation was not enough to sweep away the waves of concern and protectiveness he felt for her.

His question was answered by the look of unadulterated fear in her eyes, and the mouth that quivered as it uttered weakly "The Tyrant of Helisium."

Phantom placed a gloved hand gently under Cygnus's chin, his thumb resting on the crest just below her bottom lip. "Do you remember what I said to you when we met?"

Cygnus fumbled with her words. "I-I'm sorry."

"I prefer a woman with a smile on her face."

And with that, Cygnus dove into phantom's arms and wept. "I'm scared, Phantom. I know I must be strong, and that I'm the Transcendent of Life now, but… I feel something…something, coming from Magnus."

Phantom closed hugged her lightly and asked, "What do you mean?" Under normal circumstances, either one of them would be bad news, and the Demon Slayer together with Magnus would spell disaster. However, his ship was currently carrying over a half-dozen of Maple World's greatest champions. There was nothing to be afraid of.

"It's…I can't explain it. It's like a gut feeling that something evil doesn't belong here, and I need to get rid of it."

"Coming from Magnus?"

"Yes…I've been met the Demon Slayer many times before, and I've never gotten this feeling from him."

"That's not surprising. Many people would love to see that fiend disposed of. Is there anything more you can tell me about it?"

"I'm so sorry! I still don't understand my powers that much."

Phantom smiled warmly, pushing Cygnus gently away from him, until he held her at arms distance, his hands resting atop her small, bare shoulders. "Don't worry about it. You'll figure it out in time, I'm sure. Besides…an Empress should hardly be apologizing to her subject, don't you think? "

Cygnus clasped her hands together and smiled. "I'm so- what are we going to do, now?"

Phantom turned to look at the pair flying in front of the Lumiere, in time to catch the Demon Slayer glance back. Although the window they were behind was tinted from the outside, Phantom tensed. The Demon Slayer resumed his forward flying position, and Magnus checked back, too. The Nova dragon's beastly yellow eyes and his deathly grey complexion drove Phantom's hand instinctively to his cane. Why anyone would want to associate themselves with the Tyrant, he knew not. Then, the two of them sped up.

Feeling his ship surge from underneath them, to keep pace, he said "For now I've ordered us to simply follow them. They also seem to be headed for the Temple of Time. Unless, your highness, you wish for them to be dealt with immediately?"

Cygnus made a face. "Oh, it's really up to you, but I've never...fought in the air before."

Before Phantom responded, however, the decision was made for them.

...

"What's that!?" Magnus had to shout to be heard. They were flying at close to full speed, now, and the wind roared as it tore at their ears.

"The Lumiere! It's Phantom's ship. Damn it, I didn't want to run into him now."

"Phantom's the one that poisoned and knocked you out, yeah?"

"No, I think I knocked myself out when I crashed into the ground at full-speed. But he's an all-round attacker who can fight with a cane and throw cards." Damon didn't know why the Lumiere hadn't opened fire yet, given who they were, until a theory came to him.

"Magnus, if it's Phantom's ship, Aran's probably on there, too. Neither of them are aerial combatants, and the Lumiere's cannons have many blind spots. If I had to take a guess, I'd say they're waiting for us to land."

The Nova dragon contemplated the situation for a second, then said. "Alright, you've already had your fair share of fights lately, but my first real battle in a hundred years, and I almost bought it trying to swat an annoying fly. There's nowhere to run on a ship, though, so you go on ahead and wait for me at the Temple, I'll go warm up these old bones a bit."

Damon nodded. Given Magnus's size and strength, he would be able to inflict more damage to structures, anyway. Additionally, he had much greater mobility than the Lumiere, so if things got tough, he could give them the slip without much trouble. "Alright, be careful. Look out for a white-haired pole-arm wielder. His techniques give him a reach at least two and a half times the length of his pole-arm, so keep your distance or be prepared to block. There might also be an Elven archer and an all-round weaker version of the Black Mage; watch out for the arrows and remember to watch your surroundings."

Magnus unsheathed his blade, brandishing it, and grunted. "Alright. Don't you dare confront the old boss without me, though, you got it?"

Damon grinned. "Take your sweet time. Leech aura!"

The ancient Nova dragon pulled up, somersaulting in the air. "You'll make this too easy, Damon!" he shouted before turning and dropping down.

...

The fore of his ship splintered as Magnus landed with an enormous thud, and the hairs on Phantom's neck stood on end as a titanic roar shook the Lumiere. Cygnus let out a small cry. Her knights charged into the helm, and each fell silent as they beheld the Tyrant of Helisium extracting himself from the splintered wood. His wings were still beating, straining against the Lumiere as the ship's engine guttered and it began to slow. Phantom made a mental note of the Nova dragon's strength. A ray of light shot arced out from somewhere above, but bounced off the Tyrant's armor.

"Luminous, No!" Phantom screamed. Magnus wasn't someone to be taken on alone. The Tyrant's head jerked to the source of his voice, and with a mighty sweep of his blade, the window of the helm shattered.

Phantom did not wait for the glass to settle, and let loose a stream of cards towards where the Tyrant's head had last been. A series of metallic clangs told him his attack had failed. Wasting no time, he shot towards Magnus at an angle, flinging cards as quickly as he could. The debris was beginning to clear and he saw that his cards had all converged on thin air. The Tyrant had sidestepped, and was now moving to strike at him. Phantom disappeared in a swirl of cards, reappearing further back on the ship, but his escape was unnecessary.

A bombardment of steel and fire sent Magnus sprawling against the rails of his ship, and just as he got to his hands, and knees, Mihile and Hawkeye were on him, blade and fists striking in turns with practiced precision. The railing broke, and Magnus fell, along a trail of explosive swearing that grew more distant by the second.

Phantom looked back into the helm to see Cygnus emerge from Eckart's cloak. He relaxed, but only for a moment, for half the bow exploded in a cloud of wood and dust, a seething Magnus taking its place. Blood streaked his wings, and both his epaulets were chipped, but his eyes were positively glowing, and thick veins were visible, snaking around a massive forearm where the Tyrant had lost a gauntlet. Phantom's blood chilled at the sight. The Lumiere began to tilt forward.

He hefted his cane in preparation, and saw the Cygnus knights taking up their arms around him. A glow from off to his side told him that Luminous was also preparing to attack. Then, a young voice called "Stop!"

"You're highness!?" Phantom was shocked, but obeyed, as did the others. Cygnus strode forward with forced confidence, the ornament on her back rattling as she walked. Phantom could see her legs shaking, and he bolted to her side, barring her path with an arm. "Wait, highne-"

"It's all right, Phantom, I was wrong. The evil wasn't coming from Magnus."

"What!? Even so-" His voice caught as the Empress turned to face him fully. Upon her face sat a smile so beautiful and serene that he could not suppress a gasp: "Aria…" and his arm seemed to lower of its own accord. Turning toward Magnus again, the Empress said. "Trust me, please."

Magnus hovered in place where he had destroyed the bow of the Lumiere. Six…Seven…eight. This was significantly more people than Damon had predicted and warned him about, and all of those attacks had _hurt_, too. He could still feel his partner's leech aura in effect, however, and though blood from his head was seeping into his eyes, he could see with more clarity than he had for a long time. His heart was thumping, and his bloodlust high. He could feel the tingling as individual muscles in his body reactivated after decade upon decade of dormancy. He blinked and forgot all of that, however, when a slender girl who looked no older than nine or ten advanced forward from the group.

The card-thrower he'd determined as Phantom moved to stop her, but relented after a short exchange. Magnus lowered his sword. "I'm not here to kill unarmed children, or have you not the gall to face me, seven against one!?" He spat. He'd purposely left the little girl out of the count. None of them answered or so much as reacted, and inwardly, he commended them for their discipline. Whoever these people were, they were master combatants of incredible ability.

"Magnus, are you here to fight the Black Mage?" The voice came from the little girl.

Taken aback from both the authority in her voice as well as the direct question, he took a few seconds before responding, "I am, although I don't believe we have met."

"I am Cygnus, Empress of Maple World. These five are my chief knights and personal guard, and this is Phantom and Luminous." She said, gesturing towards them as they were announced. "If we have a common enemy here, I propose we join forces." The others behind her stiffened, and Phantom especially looked ready to explode.

"Empress of this world, huh?" Magnus chuckled. She looked different to what he remembered. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your offer, child."

Cygnus looked confused. "Why? You're after the Black Mage, aren't you?"

"No, you misunderstand. Despite having a common enemy, the business I have with the Black Mage is personal. Right now, you're in my way, so that makes you the more immediate enemy."

The swordsman and Phantom immediately leapt between him and the empress. Magnus made no effort to raise his weapon, and simply shrugged. "So I have a proposal for you, too. Turn this ship around, and come back tomorrow. The Temple of Time will be cleared of vermin, and open for your perusal." He did his best to sound convincing, but his voice was not suited to persuasion.

Nevertheless, Cygnus began to speak, but stopped when Phantom turned. Magnus watched with interest as something caused the Empress's eyes to widen. She quickly said, "I'm sorry, that's not possible. We need to get to the temple immediately and you cannot go there."

The Nova dragon's face darkened. There was a sense of finality in those words. If that was the case, there was no use in talking any further. Gathering his strength, he swept at the group. His blade caught two people. The red-cloaked wizard was flung from the Lumiere wordlessly, bottom half falling slightly faster the top, as her hood caught the air. The golden-haired swordsman who tried to guard was flung against the railing, a crunching sound filling the air as all manner of bones snapped and crumpled. His head tilted at an odd angle and blood began to ooze from between the plates of his armor. His sacrifice was in vain, however, as the girl he sought to protect had been whisked away by Phantom.

The Lumiere was silent for a split second, before a piercing cry shattered the heavens and Magnus found himself engulfed in a purple sphere. He swung his sword at his prison, but it glanced off the smooth surface. He rammed an armored elbow against it then kicked at it; also to no avail. A hail of arrows materialized within the sphere, and Magnus roared as he wrapped his wings around himself. His every sense exploded in a world of pain as the arrows tore at his wings. After the onslaught was over, he found himself half-sitting, half-leaning against the sphere, wings tattered and drooping uselessly. Outside, he could make out some worried words "Empress…" "Cygnus…" "Transcendent of Life…" "Such power…"

As clearly as his pain-racked mind would allow, he tried to make sense of the situation. Damon hadn't mentioned anyone with sealing magic, and he couldn't see them having used the Black Mage's seal on him. Baring his fangs, he roared and kicked brought a mighty hammer fist down at the base of the sphere. It shook, but held. Then, his purple prison began to shrink.

Bracing against it with all his might, Magnus knew that for once, his great strength was not enough. First his remaining horn snapped, then his left arm, and almost immediately, he felt his right knee and left ankle snap at the same time. Hot blood splashed his face, gagging him as his roars turned into gurgles. Forcing himself to focus, Magnus opened his right palm to call forth a meteor shower large enough to wipe out the Lumiere and reduce the surrounding square kilometer to burning rubble.

His prison immediately disappearing, he instinctively took hold of his massive sword, forcing his eyes open despite the pain. A wave of helplessness washed over him as he witnessed the awesome sight as Cygnus, eyes closed, made a waving gesture with her arms and his meteors exploded upon some kind of invisible field. Even the largest impacts were absorbed by the barrier with no indication of giving. The sound was deafening, and the sky suddenly alight with magma rain. He was falling fast – his wings could no longer able to keep him afloat – but he understood the situation.

Nobody could have guessed this would happen. Magnus gave one last glance at his – Kaiser's – sword and mentally thanked it for serving him so well for the past century. He tried to roar, but blood rushed up from within him, and all he managed was a choking croak. Despite that, he cocked his right arm backward to throw it, feral eyes trained on the Empress.

He never completed the action. Luminous leaned over the Lumiere's railing, and shouted "Ender!"

A huge spectral blade came into being directly above his midsection. Desperately willing his wings to work, his peripheral vision spied them still trailing in front of him uselessly as he plummeted through the air. Determined to look death in the eye as it came, Magnus shot one last flaming meteor from his mouth before the spectral blade eviscerated him, piercing through his armor, abdomen, and coming out the other side. The last thing he saw before clouds barred his vision was his final attack exploding like the others upon an invisible field. It did not reach its mark.

And then he fell, surrounded by the remnants of his Meteor shower and leaving a slow trail of blood in the air. "Is this...a Transcendent's power...?" He thought to himself, before hitting the ground with a wet squelch.

...

Thank you EnicaraCFenrir, Shihousama and Chibi Studios for your reviews :P I'm flattered by your praise xD

All that stuff about time and memories Damon and Magnus talk about might seem a bit boring/out of place, but it'll make sense later. And yes, Magnus gets rekt again. I don't really have anything against the guy...I reckon he's pretty cool, actually, but I dunno. It's fun writing it this way, haha.

And yeah, didn't really see a point in keeping the chief knights alive so I just killed off Oz and Mihile for the lulz. Magnus's gotta do SOMETHING of worth, hasn't he? :P

Anyway, those of you who know about cygnus's awakening will know what the purple sphere that traps magnus is about. Assuming cygnus can manipulate its size, being slowly crushed seemed like an...intense...(for lack of a better word) way to die. But nah, Magnus has is too awesome to just die like that.  
>"Ender" is a 4th job Luminous move that hits 7 times on bosses and 1h-ko's most mobs. But practicality reasons, the endurance of the characters in this fic can't be so high that incessant spamming of top-tier skills is required to bring them down, so yeah.<p> 


	11. Chaos

Mastema tried to clear her head, but to no avail. It was as if her brain had been replaced with cotton. Any significant thought would soon slip from her grasp when she tried to reach for it, and she eventually gave up and dragged herself to a seated position. Magnus was nowhere to be seen. _He must have went back to the camp, _she thought. She was in no state to be walking around yet; the wine she'd consumed goblet after goblet had been aged and strong, and she was sporting an enormous headache.

Still, Mastema tried to think back to the events of the previous day. A frown creased her brows as she remembered admitting to more than she thought appropriate. Still, Magnus had seemed almost uncharacteristically friendly. A half-smile crept upon her face as she contemplated whether the Tyrant of Helisium could have really taken pity on her. Deciding it was irrelevant, her thoughts gradually drifted to Damon. Without knowing when she'd passed out, she had no way of gauging how long it'd been since he'd left, but it looked from the position of the sun to be around midday.

A flare of hope rose in her chest; maybe Damon had already defeated the Black Mage. There was certainly enough time to have done it. She tried hard not to think of the other possibility, and managed to convince herself there was none. _The Transcendent of Death should certainly be able to kill whatever he wants to; the Black Mage stands no chance._ She told herself. Satisfied, she found her vision to be much steadier, and cautiously rose to her feet. A few seconds passed, and though she wobbled at first, she remained standing. She made a mental note to thank Magnus once she got back, as his wine had certainly helped lift her spirit.

Having someone else know about her feelings about Damon made her feel comfortable, too. She didn't know why, but guessed that it must be because she just wanted to confide in another being. She broke into a full smile this time. Magnus had certainly been an odd choice, but he had sufficed surprisingly well. Not trusting herself to fly, she carefully placed one foot ahead of the other, heading back towards the Pantheon army.

There were few people outside, so she found her way back to Magnus's enormous tent unhindered. She found Alpha and Beta still fast asleep on Magnus's chair. Now that she took the time to inspect it, it was of the exact same design as his throne back at the Tyrant castle. Despite herself, she was beginning to grow fond of the Nova. He certainly had a knack for symbolism in detail. Shaking the blond twins awake, she reclined into a nearby cushion.

"…Mastema?" Alpha spoke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Beta merely groaned before pulling her brother's cape over her head, then remaining still.

"Yeah. How do you feel? Ready to fight?"

"On the contrary…I feel like I'm ready to sleep for another year! How long were we out?"

"Not sure, but it's about midday now. Has Magnus come back?"

"What? I was asleep. How am I supposed to know? Didn't he go with you?"

"It doesn't matter. You should try to wake Beta. I'm going to find him and then we'll prepare to set out for the Black Mage." Alpha didn't bother making a comment, instead pulling his cape away from Beta's head and slipping her over with it. "Hey! What are you doing!" She protested, even as she rolled again and fell to the ground. Alpha smiled, his anger and suspicion from the previous day forgotten, "Wake up, Beta. We're getting ready to fight soon."

Mastema left before she saw anything more. For some reason, it didn't feel like they were about to decide the fate of the universe today. Damon's betrayal of the Maple Heroes and the battle at Helisium seemed so long ago and so far away. Her mood had been better than she could remember for a long time, and although Damon had become the Transcendent of Death, she somehow felt an intrinsic trust toward him. She knew it was more than likely her feelings that were coloring her judgment of the demon slayer, but she had faith that he wouldn't go bad like the Black Mage. She bit her lips as she remembered living through the Grand Athenaeum the events that had lead to the Transcendent of Light slipping into darkness. A pure, saintly soul tainted by his search for greater power. Her mood began to sour, and she pushed the thought away.

However, a growing feeling of unease began to creep into her heart as, soldier after soldier, nobody reported having seen Magnus. Eventually, she found her way to Cartalion, the general of Pantheon.

"Magnus is missing?" He asked, clearly alarmed.

"Affirmative. Nobody has seen him since yesterday, and the last time I saw him, we were drinking at the edge of the forest."

"I see. Mastema, you have helped us protect Pantheon in the past, so I'd like to offer you and your friends to make yourselves at home in this camp. If you would aid us again in our cause, it would-"

"I'm sorry, we need to leave to Maple World. I am to understand that you intend to march on the Temple of Time?"

"That is correct. We will be ready in three more days."

"We'll do some reconnaissance, then. If we make for the closest dimensional mirror in Leafre, we'll be back before the army mobilizes." Without waiting for a response, Mastema flared her wings and made for Magnus's tent. She had every intention of notifying Cartelion of any changes to the situation, but returning before they moved was not a priority. Magnus wouldn't just disappear without a reason, and what reason could have been so important he told no-one about? Cartalion, she could understand, as they had only just forged a shaky alliance, but she was an old friend. Something didn't add up.

Quickly briefing Alpha and Beta on the new development, the trio left for Maple World. The most likely deduction was that Magnus had had second thoughts about leaving Velderoth in command of his specter army. He'd only just met the young nova, too. "He said they were going to attack Von Leon's forces, so we'll exit through the El Nath dimensional mirror." Mastema explained.

"Wait," said Alpha. "Why do you want to go after Magnus so badly? Isn't Damien and the Black Mage a more pressing issue?"

Before Mastema could reply, Beta spoke. "Alpha! Don't you care about Magnus? He let us into his castle then let us sleep on his chair! It's bad manners to just abandon him now!"

Ignoring the blond girl, Mastema laid out her thoughts. "I believe Damon will be able to defeat the Black Mage. It's hard to think the Transcendent of Death could lose to…anyone, really. Therefore it is only logical to reinforce Magnus."

Alpha drew his long sword and buried it a third of its length into the dirt. "Logical!? I don't know much about this Von Leon, but I'm willing to bet that the Black Mage is still more of a threat. Don't forget that none of us have any idea how powerful Damon's become. The _logical_ course of action would be to reinforce him to maximize the chances of defeating the Black Mage, once and for all."

Mastema didn't have a reply to that, and Alpha lowered his voice, continuing. "Besides, didn't you see Magnus fight? I saw it all from Beta's memories, and I think the only reason he was having a tough time with Damien was because the demon was too small and too fast. What's Von Leon like?"

Mastema sighed, relenting. "He's even bigger than Magnus…huge, powerful, and slow. Alright, we head for the Black Mage."

...

"I've been waiting for you." A voice spoke coolly the moment Damon touched down on the cream-colored tiles. The Temple of Time was completely silent, and he recognized the voice. Turning back, he saw Aran approaching him, caked in a glowing orange aura that radiated a good half-meter from his body. Maha was in his hand, and the glitters of ice that trailed it were enough for the Demon Slayer to notice it was currently ice charged. "You killed all the guardians here?" He asked. His voice was flat.

"How'd you guess?" Aran replied in an equally toneless voice.

Keeping his eye on his advancing foe, he said, "Your aura. That bright orange glow must mean you've been working up quite the combo. Was it all just for me?"

The white-haired warrior stopped five meters from Damon. "Of course." Damon triggered his metamorphosis, and activated his leech aura. His newly awakened demon's fury had been silent for a while, now. When neither moved to attack, Aran spoke again. "Why did you do it?"

Damon's eye twitched and he felt his regret returning in force. "To fight the Black Mage and claim vengeance with my own hands."

"Was that worth Evan's life?" Aran's voice grew hoarse. "Mir's?"

Damon stood stock still. He didn't know how to answer the question.

"Was that pathetic, petty goal worth taking Mercedes's life along with the hopes and dreams of her people!?" Aran roared.

_So Mercedes is dead. _Damon thought to himself. He had forgotten that the elf was queen of Elluel. This situation was beyond repair. He was far beyond redemption, and he had his most recent awakening to prove it. Yet again, he remained silent.

"Answer me!" Aran had entered into a fighting stance, but still made no move to attack. Damon could see the corners of his eyes glistening.

"There's no point." He sighed.

Visibly shocked, Aran returned to a normal standing position. "No point…?" His eyes were hard, and Maha began to tremble. It took but a second for Damon to realize the warrior's hands were shaking. "Why did you attack us! We spent these past few years training together, eating, laughing together and risking our lives for each other! You, too! You've saved all of our lives on multiple occasions, before…so why!?"

Damon looked down, and Aran didn't exploit the opening. Instead, he closed the distance between them. Making no effort to be stealthy, he shook the Demon Slayer violently by the shoulders. "You will answer me!" He bellowed directly at Damon's face.

Before anything else could happen, a tremendous shockwave tore through the Temple, cracking some pillars and driving both of them to their knees. A series of flashes in the distance indicated something huge exploding in the sky. "What in the…" Aran's voice was instantly drowned out by another:

"**Oi! Remember to keep in touch with your Demon's fury. If you're not drawing on me, I can't contact you." **

Damon frowned. "What are you talking about…?"

"**It doesn't matter. I borrowed Mastema's mind-reading ability from her when she was poking around in your thoughts. That was Magnus's meteor rain. He's in trouble."**

"What…?"

"**Are you simple? I said Magnus is in trouble!"**

"That's not possible. I cast leech aura on him…any damage he does should heal him."

"**I'm not used to this mind-reading thing at all, so I can't access specific thoughts, but I know for certain that he's pretty screwed right now. Your choice whether to believe me. Hah, see if I care."**

Aran had gotten up, and was looking at Damon, confusion and suspicion clear in his gaze. "Who the hell are you talking to?"

Damon ignored him. He had made a promise to Magnus to fight the Black Mage together. He'd betrayed too many people lately, and Aran only served as further reminder. Pushing his fury aside, he stood and turned to Aran. He thought over what he knew of the warrior, and decided to take a chance. "Are you here to fight the Black Mage?"

"What? Is that even a question!?"

"If you want answers, I'll give them all to you after the Black Mage is dead, but for the time being, something very urgent has come up. Excuse me." He flared his wings and took off in the direction he came from. Despite the urgency of the circumstances, he kept a slow pace.

_If Magnus was defeated by the Lumiere, there must have been some unforeseen circumstance, _Damon thought._ If the explosions and shockwave came from Magnus's meteor rain, why was it in the sky? And whatever it hit must have been huge, much bigger than the Lumiere. I also didn't see or hear anything from the ground, so the attack must have failed. Damn! What could possibly be happening?_

Turning to check over his shoulder, it was just as he'd expected; Aran had summoned a large white wolf and was chasing after him.

...

Mastema frowned as she surveyed her surroundings. From the looks on Alpha and Beta's faces, they felt the same way. Red-hot pieces of rock were scattered everywhere, smoke still rising from some of the larger ones. For as far as the eye could see, the landscape was as such; no local fauna traversed this region of the Minar Forest. Either of the phenomena on its own would be strange, but the two together pointed to a grim possibility.

This must have been the remains of some large-scale fire based attack, or the place of a recently concluded battle. However, the lack of bodies was suspicious. Either way, be it the combatants or the sheer power output generated by them, whatever left this burning mess was enough to scare away even the extremely resilient and dangerous Kentauruses. "Alpha, Mastema…" Beta's voice was soft, but they could still hear her clearly amidst the dull sizzling of stone. "What do you think could have happened here?"

Alpha turned toward Mastema. "Well, you're the native, aren't you? Know anybody with large-scale flame-based abilities?"

Mastema thought for a second…there was Oz, the Blaze Wizard, and there were adventuring magicians who specialized in fire and poison magic. However… "Nobody who can cause destruction on this scale…it had to have been more than one person." She leapt up into the sky, flapping her wings three times to gain altitude. "Yes!" She called back, raising her voice, "The flaming debris is extremely widespread; it must have been a sizeable group of-" she suddenly stopped.

Remaining in the air for a few moments longer, Mastema dropped back to the ground, eyes fierce, though her mouth was slightly ajar. Both Alpha and Beta drew their weapons. "What did you see?" the male asked. Mastema gradually unsheathed her sword, too, and shook her head slightly. "I'm…not sure. From this distance, I can't tell for sure so I don't want to say anything that might not be true. Come, follow me."

She glided toward where she had seen the unmistakable cyan glow of Magnus's sword, although she kept her speed in check so that Alpha and Beta could just barely keep up. The scene that beheld them drew gasps from all three, and a string of muttered curses from Alpha as he activated his Transcendent's abilities. Beta followed, and Mastema also readied herself to fight.

For a moment, Mastema forgot to breath. In a lifetime of battle, she had witnessed death in many of its grisly variations, and had become rather desensitized to it. However, accustomed as she was, she still felt her chest constrict and her heart quicken to a frantic pace as she beheld the gruesome scene before her. In that instant, time seemed to freeze, and although she could feel blood rushing to her face, she had never felt so chilled in her life. The tension and fear emanating from Alpha and Beta was almost tangible, and, mixed with hers, she wanted nothing more than to scream and fly away.

What was left of the great Nova dragon lay amid a dried pool of blood, the arms of the splatter reaching at least fifteen meters out. His wings were torn to shreds, and the shafts of dozens of arrows were still visible protruding from their stems. More arrows had pierced Magnus's neck, and his arms and legs lay bent at odd angles, blood still flowing slowly from the bones protruded from his skin and armor. A ragged, gaping hole had been torn in his abdomen, and it looked like his inch-thick armor had done nothing to stop it. What remained of his inner organs were clearly visible among the remainder of the mush that occupied much of the wound. Chunks of his armor lay around him, and from the way he lay, Mastema gathered he had fallen from a great height. His sword lay just out of reach. She picked it up, and started as it shrunk in size to accommodate her.

"Shit, is…is that Magnus?" It was Alpha. Glancing at him, she saw both he and Beta covering their noses, and only then did she notice the feral stink that pervaded this place. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to speak. "Y-yeah…it has to be." Beta put words to all of their thoughts: "What could have happened? Isn't he really strong?"

Multiple scenarios presented themselves, but she discarded many quickly due to their implausibility. A group of adventurers fighting Magnus couldn't have brutalized his corpse like this. He must have been fighting in air, and the only people she could think of who were good enough aerial combatants to defeat Magnus were Damon and his brother. Neither of them used arrows, though, and she didn't think it was likely that Damien's troops were involved, as it's impossible that Magnus was felled before taking a single one down with him. However…she took to the sky again.

Spotting another corpse, she flew towards it, recognizing its attire immediately. This was Oz, Blaze Wizard and one of the chief knights of Ereve. Could she have been behind the smoldering rocks scattered across this place? Mastema immediately discounted that possibility, too. Oz was no match for Magnus and certainly did not have the power of this magnitude. _More importantly, _she thought, _what was Magnus doing here, and why was he not at El Nath? What was Oz doing here? Were the rest of the knights here, too? What is going on?_

Making her way back to the others, she caught sight of something approaching. "Alpha, Beta! There!" She cried, and the three prepared to face the new arrival. However, as it drew near, they could make out the black, leathery wings of the Demon Slayer, and hot on his heels, Mastema recognized Aran atop his white wolf. The two appeared to notice them, too.

"Damon!" Mastema cried. She didn't know where to start, so she began with her most pressing concern: "Do you have any idea what's happened here?" The Demon Slayer looked over Magnus's mangled corpse, and grimaced. "Why are you here?"

Taken aback by the question, Mastema made a face "What' that supposed to mean? Tell me what's going on!" She didn't remember ever shouting like this to Damon before, but now was hardly the time to be calm.

"These rocks scattered around here are the debris from a massive meteor shower that Magnus called down. They all hit something in the air, but clearly it wasn't enough."

Aran burst into explosive profanity as he laid eyes on the scene, and Beta instantly made her way to him, with Alpha close behind. Ignoring them, even though Aran was a potential enemy, Mastema asked. "What could have done this to him?"

Damon looked shaken. "I'm not…I don't think I want to know…the voice inside my fury told me about him, saying he was in trouble, but…I'm afraid to think just what could have withstood the force of a meteor shower of this scale and done this to him."

"I saw Oz back that way, she's dead too. They both look like they fell from somewhere high."

"Oz, the Blaze Wizard?" Damon's eyes widened.

Mastema frowned. He seemed to know something. "Yes…is something the matter?"

"Damn it. The Cygnus knights were on the ship, too."

"What!?" The shout came from Aran, who had overheard them. He marched up to the duo and the blond twins quickly followed. He buried the hilt of his pole arm into the dirt and leaned against it. "You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, Damon, and you'd better get started. Why did you never even tell us your name before this?"

The Demon Slayer didn't protest. He took a deep breath, and began. "Long story short, Magnus and I left the rest of these people in Helisium to fight the Black Mage. We ran into the Lumiere on the way here and Magnus wanted a warm up before the decisive battle…I had assumed you, Phantom, Mercedes and Luminous were the only people aboard, but it would seem I was wrong about you and Mercedes, and the Cygnus knights were there, too."

"Do you seriously think I still believe you're trying to fight the Black Mage after what you did to the rest of us!?" Aran roared. Beta stopped him by tugging at his thick, fur cape. "Yes, he's with us! We're all fighting the Black Mage! We're the Transcendents of Time!" With that, she summoned a glowing blue hour glass in her palm.

Aran sputtered, trying but failing to find his words. Eventually, he just said "This doesn't make any sense…! He killed three of his team-mates who were after the Black Mage, and then goes to find more to do the same thing? What the hell?"

Damon lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry, Aran. I know this means nothing, but I'm sorry. I don't know why…I just…I wanted my vengeance to be my own. But I realized my folly when I was forced to fight for my life against my own brother. You have to believe me, Aran. Now that Magnus is dead, we're down to four people. You and Phantom would be a welcome addi-"

"You monster…" Aran growled. "You really think I'd make the mistake of teaming up with you again!? You've stabbed us all in the back before, there's nothing stopping you from doing it again! You were fine with Magnus warming up on me and our old friends! It doesn't take an idiot to deduce that he meant to kill us! Serves him right…the damned fiend."

Mastema fidgeted uncomfortably. Even Beta was at a loss for words. Aran must not have recognized her as the person who'd knocked him out, but she had no delusions that Phantom wouldn't, either. They would be idiots not to suspect an ulterior motive, even though they had none. However, she simply stood in awkward silence, watching alongside Alpha and Beta.

"Aran…I invite you to look at your current situation with a clear head. You've dropped your guard, and we all have our weapons in our hands. If any of us wanted you dead, you would be. We're after the Black Mage."

"Why you…" Aran looked down, but made no move to ready Maha. "I want the Black Mage dead as much as anybody…he trapped me in ice for one hundred years!"

"Look, the Black Mage is obviously the greatest threat right now, so why don't we get rid of him before ironing out our own issues."

Aran swore, then looked at the others. "…Fine, lets go to the temple. Phantom should be coming. We can ask him about what happened with Magnus." He paused for a moment, then, shooting another glance at Magnus's corpse, shuddered then said, "I'm being honest when I say that I don't know anyone on the Lumiere who could have done…this…to him."

...

Phantom saw his reflection in a large piece of broken glass, and paused. His face looked sunken. He hadn't slept well, lately, but the events of the past half hour or so seemed to sap his remaining energy. Nonetheless, he had a solemn vow to honor, and he would never let Aria's dreams be buried this close to fruition. As frightening as her powers were, now he knew what Cygnus was capable of, and they were that much closer to regrouping with Aran and tackling their final foe. He hoped that the white-haired warrior had enough sense not to challenge the Demon Slayer alone. In the time they'd known each other, he knew Aran had little chance in besting the Demon in a fair fight, and the warrior was hardly one to resort to trickery. Pushing the thought away, he decided to focus on events he could actually influence.

They had finally calmed Cygnus down; the young empress was understandably distraught over the loss of two of her chief knights, and had been crying uncontrollably since the battle with Magnus. Mihile, especially, had been extremely caring and dear to her. He broke his gaze from his own reflection and made his way to where the rest were congregated. He had been checking the damage to the Lumiere, and was satisfied that, although the ship was certainly wanting for repairs, it was in decent enough shape to get them to their destination. As the Temple of Time faded into sight, he sat wordlessly with the others. There were matters of great importance to discuss.

"Look, I know two of our members have just died, but we can wallow in grief when there's time for it. Maguns's attack certainly wasn't random. The Empress and I had seen him with the Demon Slayer, and we believe they were both headed for the Temple of Time."

It was luminous who spoke. "Isn't Aran there? Damn it, I let him stay because I thought there was no chance the Demon'd head back there…"

Phantom nodded, "Yes, but lets worry about what we can change for the time being. We just need to have faith in Aran's judgment. You are all aware of the Demon Slayer's recent actions, so I propose a kill on sight protocol." He looked to the Empress, who simply returned his gaze with wide, innocent-looking eyes. His heart scrunched up when as he reminded himself that those soft hands of hers were now stained with blood, too. When no-one objected, he continued. "I'm assuming that the Demon Slayer and Magnus had intended to rejoin the Black Mage, for whatever reason. I can see no other motive for him betraying us at the last minute than to 'atone' for his betrayal of the Black Mage one hundred years ago. Taking into account that he used to be paired with Magnus for missions, it's not hard to guess where that line of reasoning ends."

The others slowly nodded, frowning, and Irena spoke "How do we confront him? Do you have any ideas?" The wind archer had her bow trained in the direction of the Temple, ready to shoot down anything suspicious.

He lowered his head gravely. "Take any opening you can find. Our best chance is to take him out with a surprise attack. He's powerful, but his endurance is rather low for a melee type. If we don't see Aran when we arrive, then we are to assume he is dead, and the Demon Slayer has breached the temple. If we meet with Aran, then Eckhart and I will be on the lookout, and we simply proceed as planned. Oz and Mihile were regrettable losses, but remember: we were all prepared to die on this mission. Now is where we honor their sacrifice and ensure it was not in vain."

It was Cygnus who finally broke the silence. "I…I scare you, don't I?" Her voice was incredibly soft and feeble, and the question wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but Phantom answered anyway. "No, your highness. Seeing the extent of your capacity simply empowers us all. Now we know for certain that we can defeat the Black Mage. Only the evil need fear you, and we will all be by your side, as always."

The Empress managed a small smile. "Thank you." She said. She looked ready to say more, but Irena interrupted her. "There are figures…four figures at the foot of the stairs. I think I can make out Aran, but I'm not sure about the others."

Phantom turned, making his way beside the wind archer. Straining his eyes, he, too, could see the tell-tale white hair of his friend and comrade. The others, however… "Everyone! Ready yourselves." It was Irena again; her eyesight was better than most. "I definitely see the Demon Slayer among them, as well as another Demon. The other two…blond…dressed in identical red outfits, both look to be melee warriors. Actually they look like…twins. Ring a bell for anyone?"

Phantom continued to squint as they came into view. The four at the temple had noticed the Lumiere, and turned to face them. "This is strange. They seem to have come to some kind of truce." A small gasp drew his gaze down to the Empress, who had crossed her arms in front of her chest, clutching at the opposite shoulder with each hand. "I…I feel it again. It's definitely the Demon Slayer. There's something…profoundly wrong about him."

Phantom frowned, as did the rest. "What do you suggest we do?"

Cygnus shook her head. "I'd never say this under normal circumstances, and I know you might not trust me completely after my what I just did, but…I suggest we get rid of him as soon as possible. Every sense in my body is screaming at me that there is an evil inside him that has to be destroyed."

Everyone nodded. A flurry of flashes later, and the group had cast all the beneficial spells and abilities they possessed on each other. Cygnus rose, lifting her hands in the air, and Phantom felt his entire body overflowing with pure energy. From the others' reactions, they had experienced the same. Clenching his fist, he felt a strength that came easier than normal. Smiling at the Empress, he brandished his cane.

...

"What are you doing?" Aran asked as Alpha unsheathed his long sword. That earned him a glance from the blond-haired male. "Look at the ship; those flashes of light. They're obviously preparing to fight, and the only thing to fight around here is us. Of course, I'd rather talk things over, but I don't wanna get caught with my pants down, you know." Beta laughed, and followed suit. Aran grunted in acknowledgment, and began waving his pole-arm in the air, hailing the Lumiere.

Mastema looked to damon, then hefted Magnus's sword. It had shrunk to a perfect size for her the moment she'd touched it, intending to lay it back in the Nova dragon's hand. She'd been stunned, but then remembered what Magnus had told her the night before. He would have wanted someone to inherit his and Kaiser's legacy in the event of his death. She was currently the only person of the four who only had a regular blade, so she'd kept it. She took her place beside Damon. She had no way of knowing what he was thinking, now that her mind-reading ability was gone. With a start, she realized that she hadn't told Damon about that, yet. It could wait for later, though; now was hardly the time.

Damon drew his scepter and activated his metamorphosis. Drawing on his fury, he heard the voice again. **"Oi…Something's not right, here. I think I know what happened to Magnus."**

"What?" Everyone looked at him as he uttered the word. Nobody had said anything. Aran spoke. "What's the matter with you, you were talking to something before, too."

"**Just think your responses in your head. Otherwise they'll all think you're crazy."**

Damon waved him off. _What's going on?_

"**I think I feel the Transcendent of Life. Being the Transcendent of Death is different than the others, you see. We are technically two separate entities. However, I'm fairly certain that I feel the Transcendent of Life on that ship. I felt it before when you were flying with Magnus, too."**

_Damn it, why didn't you tell me?_

"**You weren't accessing your fury…I couldn't say anything. Besides, when you started drawing on me against Aran, it just kinda slipped my mind, you know? I was trying to figure out what happened to make Magnus have all those last-word kinda thoughts."**

_Alright…do you think they know about us?_

"**More than likely, yeah. We are each other's antithesis, after all. However, judging by what the Transcendent of Life was able to do to Magnus, I don't think fighting them head on is a good idea. You aren't that used to me, yet."**

_Damn it. Why are you telling me this now? Isn't it a bit late!?_

"**Well-"**

_No matter. Stop talking until I tell you. I'm going to need to focus, in case things get hairy. Escape or surrender is not an option. This ends today._

"Aran, have you heard of a Transcendent of Life?" He was prepared to attack or defend at an instant's notice, but the warrior simply responded in a confused tone. "Alice, the tree of life. You never wanted to help us free her for some reason, remember? Why?"

"She's on the Lumiere."

Everyone started. "What!?" they all shouted in unison.

At that moment, a series of dark portals opened around them, and out stepped some of the last people Damon wanted to see at that moment.

A deep-throated growl announced the entry of the Lion King, already shifted into his animal form. A series of hisses and Arkarium exited his portal, to the left of Von Leon. To his right, Hilla floated out, tossing Damon a mocking glance before turning to face the Lumiere.

"W-what the hell?" Aran said.

Damon's eyes flitted wildly, searching for a fourth portal, and, as if on cue, a bolt of red lightning struck before the three commanders. Damien.

Then, five figures jumped out of the Lumiere, landing in a semi-circle curving outwards from their ship. They were all in a battle stand.

At last, floating downwards, bathed in a brilliant light, was…

"Cygnus…?" Damon sucked in a breath.

She raised a hand toward them.

...

Hmm, this chapter is a bit longer than the others; the story is becoming more convoluted. Not sure whether to flesh out the impending battle or to just focus on the main group's, and kinda have the others happen off screen...ehhh So yeah. Magnus died and it wasn't pretty. More deaths coming up next chapter :D


End file.
